If these numbers are correct, we could see Democrats slugging it out for the nomination as surely as the GOP will be.

With just slightly more than three weeks until the first nominating contest, three new MSNBC/McClatchy/Mason-Dixon polls show that the Democratic contest isn’t just a dead heat in Iowa -- it’s also tied in New Hampshire and South Carolina. In Iowa, Clinton has the lead over Obama, 27%-25% (although that’s within the poll’s 5% margin of error), while Edwards comes in third at 21%. In New Hampshire, it’s Clinton 30%, Obama 27%, and Edwards 10%. And in South Carolina, it’s Clinton 28%, Obama 25%, and Edwards 18%. To borrow a sports analogy, the impressive underdog (Obama) has tied it up in the fourth quarter after trailing the once-seemingly invincible favorite (Clinton) for most of the contest. It’s now anybody’s game.

The question is, how badly will a failure to run away with it in these states hurt Hillary Clinton?

And with the splintered vote on the GOP side of the race, some are arguing that we may see an old-fashioned brokered convention That might not be a bad thing. After all, the excitement would buy news coverage and the attention of the nation.