Of course, when Ted was leading in Iowa, the Trump supporters were the ones shouting the loudest that Iowa didn't mean anything, that it hasn't picked a GOP candidate in forever, etc.
The fact is that whether Trump wins Iowa or Cruz wins Iowa will result in a difference of 2-3 delegates either way. Cruz has the money and the organization already in place to compete at least until Super Tuesday, and Trump is not going to run up any massive delegate leads by then. So unless the bottom just falls out and Cruz starts polling in Bush territory, this isn't going to be over any time soon. If Cruz wins Texas and does well in California, where he is currently leading, he could easily force this into a brokered convention. But it is too early to see how things shake out when the voting starts.
Well put. It’s a long haul and it’s just beginning.