FixCam: Week in Preview -- The Iowa Edition

The "Big 3" Democratic presidential candidates descend on Iowa for a week of hand-to-hand politicking in advance of the state's Jan. 3 caucuses -- the latest sign of just how important the Hawkeye State is in the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Coming off a strong debate performance, former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) spent yesterday campaigning in eastern Iowa and was scheduled to deliver a foreign policy speech in Iowa City today. Voters in Iowa are seeing a lot more of Edwards of late on their television sets as he launched a 60-second ad in the state late last week.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) spent the weekend in Iowa, insisting that she is ready, willing and able to deal with a heightened level of criticism and scrutiny from her rivals for the Democratic nomination

And Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) will embark on a bus tour through the state on Tuesday -- making stops in Cedar Rapids, Bettendorf and Muscatine among other cities along the way.

The week concludes with the Iowa Democratic Party's Jefferson Jackson Dinner on Saturday night in Des Moines. All six of the major Democratic presidential candidates will speak to the crowd and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will serve as master of ceremonies.