With so much recent talk about a 2008 showdown between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, one Democratic presidential hopeful has been getting short shrift: John Edwards.

Consider the results of the most recent Washington Post/ABC News poll of 2008 preferences among Democrats. Mrs. Clinton is well out in front with 39%, followed by Barack Obama with 17%. John Edwards finishes third in the Post poll at 12%.

But national polls underplay Mr. Edwards's strength in key early states. In Iowa, for example, the Des Moines Register reports today on the details of an October poll of potential Democratic caucusgoers. The poll, conducted by Harstad Research for an environmental advocacy group, showed Mr. Edwards with a 20-point lead over Mrs. Clinton, 36% to 16%. Barack Obama finished third in the poll with 13%.

It should be noted the poll was taken in mid-October (the 12th through the 19th), right at the very beginning of Mr. Obama's book-selling media blitz, which began with an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show on October 18. But even if Mr. Obama has improved his standing among Iowa Democrats over the last two months, the same cannot be said of Mrs. Clinton. In fact, the Harstad poll is similar to the results of an Iowa poll in June showing Mr. Edwards ahead of Mrs. Clinton by four points -- the first time any candidate had beaten Mrs. Clinton in a 2008 poll at the national or state level.

Despite some speculation to the contrary, Mrs. Clinton will not be able to use Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack's entry into the race as an excuse to write off Iowa. With Nevada (a state with very strong labor union influence) and South Carolina (where John Edwards was born) now looming large on the Democrats' new primary schedule, a win by Mr. Edwards in Iowa could set the stage for a legitimate run at the nomination.