Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum says moving the opening voting contests in the presidential campaign earlier puts lesser-known candidates like him at a disadvantage. A panel in Florida has decided to hold that state’s primary on January 31st, a move which means Iowa’s Caucuses won’t be held as scheduled on February 6th, but will be moved much earlier.

“I can’t say that I was pleased that Florida did what they did. I think it was no question about it, it was to the benefit of the leading candidates,” Santorum said Sunday. “You know, it takes a game that was 60 minutes and turns it into 45 minutes and, of course, if you’re ahead, you’d like the game to be played tomorrow.” Santorum’s campaign strategy was already heavily weighted toward a better-than-expected finish in an early state like Iowa, and Santorum says Florida’s decision makes a good finish in the Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire Primary an even bigger prize.

“You’re only going to have a couple of candidates that are going to have the ability to compete in Florida. The rest of the candidates are going to have to focus even more so on these early primary states because of the compressed time frame,” Santorum said. “…I think it’s going to end up Florida getting less attention, not more attention.” Santorum participated in an old-fashioned baseball game at Living History Farms in Urbandale on Sunday afternoon. He’s campaigning in Clarion, Grundy Center, Toledo and Vinton later today (Monday). Rival candidate Michele Bachmann will campaign in western Iowa this afternoon, with stops in Sioux City and Council Bluffs.

(Radio Iowa)

Congressman Steve King has just returned from a trip to Greece, Cyprus and Turkey. King was part of a congressional delegation. “To look at the friction that’s emerging there between Turkey and Greece — two of our NATO allies that seem to be lining up a little bit against one another,” King says. “And the friction exists in Cyprus because of the Turk and the Greek influence in divided Cyprus, so all of those things were extraordinarily interesting.” King says it’s important to know what’s happening in that part of the world right now.

“If Greece’s economy should collapse, then that indicates that there’s a high-risk of a domino or chain-reaction effect which could go through Italy and Spain and Portugal,” King says, “perhaps Ireland and Belgium and other countries.” King was returning to the United States when news broke that key al Qaida operatives in Yemen had been assassinated.

“I’m glad to add my voice to the entire Iowa delegation in encouragement of the administration and our military and our CIA and all of the people out there with their lives on the line,” King says. “They have landed a severe blow to the al Qaida network.” Others, like Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, have said the slain al Qaida leaders had rights, because they were American citizens, and the Obama administration violated the constitution with the assassinations. King disagrees with that assertion.

“If they are attacking and killing us, of course we have to strike back,” King says. “That’s what the president’s done and I support his move.” On Friday, the four other congressmen from Iowa made statements of support for the action in Yemen.

(Radio Iowa)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Sioux City mail processing center has closed despite attempts to save it. The final pieces of mail went through the center on Saturday morning. Operations are being transferred to a processing center in Sioux Falls, S.D. The postal service announced the consolidation decision in June as part of its plan to cut its staggering losses. Iowa’s congressional delegation and others tried to fight the closure. Postal officials have said local mail delivery will not be affected by the move. However, Sioux City will lose about 70 jobs.

An Elliott man was arrested early Sunday morning in Montgomery County, on an assault charge. Sheriff’s officials say 32-year old Joshua L. Franzen was taken into custody at around 3:15-a.m., after authorities investigated a domestic disturbance incident at a residence in rural Elliott.

Franzen was located at the residence and arrested on a charge of Simple Assault. He was brought to the Montgomery County Jail, and held on $300 bond.

The Department of Defense announced today (Sunday) the death of a sailor who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Caleb A. Nelson, 26, of Omaha, Neb.,died after his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device while conducting a combat patrol in Zabul province, Afghanistan on Oct.1.  Nelson was assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit, Norfolk, Va.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. (AP) — A religious group from Iowa will lead a peace rally at Offutt Air Force Base. The Sisters of St. Francis from Dubuque, Iowa, say this (Sunday) afternoon’s demonstration is meant to commemorate both the 10th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan and St. Francis of Assisi. The group says it expects about 100 protesters from across Iowa to travel to eastern Nebraska for the protest. It anticipates some demonstrators will be arrested for trespassing.