Every four years, the Iowa caucuses come under predictable ridicule. Like tag-team wrestlers, pundits love to pound on the first presidential contest, saying it gets outsized attention, involves a minuscule number of voters and rarely predicts the eventual nominee, especially in the Republican Party.

All of that is true. Yet as overhyped and unrepresentative as their caucuses may be, Iowa Republicans made some reasoned selections Tuesday, given their choices. Most GOP caucus-goers opted for Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, who are approaching the race with more seriousness, and slightly more civility, than their opponents. The other big vote-getter was Ron Paul, who did well among libertarian independents.

It's clear that GOP stalwarts are less than enthused by their options – a constant irritant, especially since their party's chances of taking the White House back are so high. Yet it is also clear that the Republican Party is deeply divided, making it hard for any one candidate to break from the pack. And even if the economy continues to limp along, that division will only serve to help President Barack Obama remain in office.

In Iowa on Tuesday, evangelicals and anti-abortion advocates helped propel Santorum, a former U.S. senator, to a near-upset of Romney. GOP voters who consider themselves to be moderates or pragmatists voted for Romney, seeing the former Massachusetts governor as their best chance of beating Obama.

Both Santorum and Romney have taken positions worthy of condemnation. The former is dangerously cavalier about getting us into a war with Iran, while the latter has been less than honest about his past support for health care reform, including the "individual mandate" to purchase health insurance.

Yet in Iowa, caucus-goers deserve credit for recognizing that, on the right, Santorum was a far more seasoned, and far less reckless, choice than Michele Bachmann, who suspended her campaign Wednesday. More moderate voters wanted little to do with Newt Gingrich or Rick Perry.

Apparently, the heartland isn't warming to Gingrich's nasty streak. As for Perry, he's proved adept at running Texas-size television campaigns but has shown little facility with managing the retail politics of small states like Iowa. And his debate performances? Don't get us started.

Next up is New Hampshire, where several dramas will play out. Will Santorum be able to maintain his momentum? Will Gingrich stage a rebound? Can Perry skip New Hampshire and have anything left for South Carolina? Will the Granite State become a tombstone for Jon Huntsman?

Romney has the big bucks and a well-oiled attack machine. Expect him to use it against Santorum, while maintaining the public demeanor of a polite family man. Gingrich? He seems to have given up on the nomination but now has a new mission: to torpedo Romney's chances.

This contest is likely to get Super Ugly before we even get to Super Tuesday. And it could well stretch into June, when GOP voters in California might – might – have a chance to help determine the outcome.

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