(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN

Now, we know fortunes can rise and fall in presidential politics. But just seven weeks until the all-important Iowa caucuses -- this:

From WPLG:
“Pollsters say Romney is in a virtual tie in Iowa with Herman Cain, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich.”

From WPTV:
“Herman Cain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are in a dead heat as the top choices for Iowans.”

From WAGA:
“Still Iowa is hardly locked up. In the same pole, 60% of likely caucus-goers in Iowa say they're still open to supporting someone else.”

Yep -- a four-way statistical dead heat according to Bloomberg’s latest poll. It’s not the first poll to put Romney, Gingrich and Cain up top -- but this time Paul’s joined the pack.

CBS News’ Stephanie Condon writes, “The focus on economic issues has likely advantaged Paul ... The Texas congressman wins the most support, 32 percent, from likely caucus-goers who say they've made up their minds. … On top of that, 69 percent of Iowa voters who supported Paul in 2008 are once again supporting him.”

But even then -- Bloomberg’s Al Hunt says the buck doesn’t stop with the top four.

ANCHOR: “You did an interview yesterday with Jon Huntsman who is still in the race and is really trying to get a leg up on the candidates. Does he have any move to move forward here? -- any room to move forward here?”
HUNT: “Not in Iowa, but in New Hampshire he is trying to be the John McCain of 2012 or others who’ve come out of nowhere, independent-minded voters.”

But remember: This was a poll of likely caucus-goers in Iowa. And Death +Taxes Magazine suggests -- the results probably don’t mean anything for the bigger picture.

“This is the state that found Mike Huckabee an attractive, substantive Republican candidate in the 2008 Republican caucuses. Huckabee was also a Tea Party darling of sorts. Mitt Romney placed second and John McCain—the eventual Republican candidate for president—placed a distant fourth. Proof that conservative Iowans don’t know what the hell they’re doing.”

The Iowa caucuses are slated for January 3, 2012.