WASHINGTON, Jan 4: The White House said on Friday that the Iowa caucus, won by presidential candidates calling for sweeping changes, did not reflect unhappiness with US President George W. Bush’s leadership.

Asked whether the first White House nominating contest ahead of the Nov 4 elections was a test of where the US public stands on Bush, spokesman Tony Fratto replied: “No, not at all.”

“I think he thinks it’s more – it’s a good test for anyone who will eventually end up in this job. And it’s exciting for Americans to pay attention to it. He is,” Fratto told reporters.

Democratic Senator Barack Obama carried his party’s Iowa contest, while among Bush’s Republicans, the victor was former Arkansas governor and ordained Baptist minister Mike Huckabee, who has blasted the White House’s “arrogant bunker mentality” on foreign policy.

The unpopular US president, weighed down by the war in Iraq, stayed up “past his usual bedtime” to watch the results, and cautioned against reading too much into the early nominating fights, said Fratto.

“The president said that these races are great tests; you win some and you lose some, but the question is how you do in the long run,” said Fratto.

“He understands the range of emotions that the candidates go through, both those who don’t do as well as they expected to do, and those looking forward to do better,” he said.

That appeared to be a message to candidates like Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton and Republican former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who had hoped to carry the day but fell well short.—AFP