Ron Paul's first public event in Iowa since the release of a Des Moines Register poll putting him within striking distance of Mitt Romney was so packed that workers took down a dividing wall at the downtown Marriott's Salon D ballroom. Supporters as well as national political reporters lined up to cover the action.

"This is almost like a real rally!" the Texas congressman told the crowd at the event, which had been billed simply as a "whistlestop."