Tancredo sees Huckabee Iowa win as a loss

Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo decided to run for President last year in order to make illegal immigration a major issue, and succeeded in his goal. He left the race in late December, throwing his support to Mitt Romney in the Republican primaries.

But he sees Mike Huckabee's big win in the Iowa caucuses on Thursday as a setback. Before the caucuses, Tancredo had told a reporter "The biggest blow to my cause would be if Huckabee wins in Iowa, which damages Romney and allows McCain to do even better than he would have otherwise done and go on with more steam."

After hearing the results, Tancredo said "It's a discouraging thing, because, to tell the truth, the real winner in this thing is McCain. . . . I think he's the worst in the bunch." During his run for the nomination, Tancredo had deeply criticized McCain for sponsoring an amnesty proposal last spring with Senator Kennedy.

Tancredo said he thinks Romney could fight back, if he has the will. Asked whether he wished he had remained in the race, Tancredo said no, adding that he was happy to be home with his family in Colorado. "I'd rather be here tonight than anywhere in Iowa," he said, laughing.