WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) – Republican presidential contenders Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum were locked in a tight battle as voters met across this largely rural state on Tuesday in the first contest to determine a challenger to Democratic President Barack Obama.

Partial returns from the state Republican Party showed the three candidates winning roughly 23 percent of the vote each with about 22 percent of precincts reporting.

The months-long campaign has been marked by volatility. Romney is a favorite of the party’s business wing, while Santorum appeared to be consolidating the state’s large bloc of Christian conservatives. Paul has drawn a passionate following among libertarians and younger voters.

Iowa’s caucuses are known more for weeding out candidates than picking the future president but a strong finish here could provide a big boost in the state-by-state battle to choose the Republican to stand against Obama in the November 6 election.

Most of the candidates have topped opinion polls at one point in a race that until recently centered on televised debates rather than on-the-ground campaigning.

Many voters remain undecided and the unusual caucus process adds an element of unpredictability. Voters gathered in public meetings at hundreds of sites around the state such as schools, libraries and churches, listening to speeches touting the various candidates before casting their ballots. Democrats and independents are allowed to participate as long as they re-register as Republicans at the site.

“I’m paying great attention, I just can’t decide,” said Judy Peters, the owner of an events center where roughly 1,000 voters were to meet. “There’s bits and pieces of each candidate that I like and bits and pieces that I don’t.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) – Republican candidates criss-crossed Iowa making late appeals to voters, with polls giving at least three – Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul – a shot at winning the first contest of the 2012 presidential campaign on Tuesday.

Iowa’s quirky caucuses are known more for weeding out candidates than picking the future president. Finishing in a top spot could provide a big boost to any contender in the volatile contest to choose a Republican challenger to President Barack Obama in the November 6 election.

The tight Republican race, marked by rollercoaster ups and downs in opinion polls for most candidates, has sparked weeks of negative campaigning in Iowa. Millions of dollars has been spent by outside “Super PAC” fundraising groups.

Former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, a one-time front-runner pummeled by such attack advertisements, lashed out at Romney on Tuesday for trying to distance himself from the ads. Asked if he was calling Romney a liar, Gingrich said, “Yes” on CBS’ “The Early Show.”

“This is a man whose staff created the PAC, his millionaire friends fund the PAC, he pretends he has nothing to do with the PAC. It’s baloney,” said Gingrich.

In response, Romney reiterated that his campaign did not coordinate with the Super PAC and told Gingrich to toughen up.

“This is a campaign where you need to have broader shoulders,” Romney said on Fox News. “If you can’t stand the heat of this little kitchen, wait for the hell’s kitchen that’s coming from Barack Obama.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) – Republican White House hopefuls made last-ditch pitches to woo voters across Iowa on Tuesday, with polls giving at least three – Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul – a shot at winning the first contest of the 2012 presidential campaign.

Iowa’s quirky caucuses are known more for weeding out candidates than picking the future president, and finishing in one of the top spots could provide a big boost to any contender in the volatile contest to pick a challenger to Democratic President Barack Obama in the November 6 election.

The tight Republican race, marked by rollercoaster ups and downs in opinion polls for most of the candidates, has sparked weeks of negative campaigning in the Iowa competition. Millions of dollars have been spent by outside “Super PAC” fundraising groups.

Former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, a one-time front-runner who has been pummelled by a series of attack advertisements from one such group, lashed out at Romney on Tuesday for trying to distance himself from the ads.

Asked if he was calling Romney a liar, Gingrich said, “Yes” on CBS’s “The Early Show.”

“This is a man whose staff created the PAC, his millionaire friends fund the PAC, he pretends he has nothing to do with the PAC. It’s baloney,” said Gingrich.

Polls give Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, a narrow lead over social conservative Santorum and libertarian Paul ahead of Tuesday evening’s caucuses. But many voters are still undecided, leaving the contest up for grabs.

DES MOINES (Reuters) – Republican rivals took aim at the conservative credentials of a surging Rick Santorum on Monday in hopes of heading off a last-minute victory by the former senator a day before Iowa kicks off the 2012 presidential election season.

Santorum, a second-tier candidate until a jump in the polls last week, claimed momentum as he and other Republican candidates barnstormed across Iowa, criticizing each other and trying to bolster turnout ahead of Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses.

Mitt Romney, a front-runner and former Massachusetts governor, didn’t take shots at Santorum but did speak confidently of victory after weeks of playing it safe in Iowa. His campaign said Romney was referring to the presidential nomination, not specifically Iowa, which he lost in 2008 despite a spirited effort.

“We’re going to win this thing with all of our passion and strength and do everything we can to get this campaign on the right track to go across the nation and to pick up other states and get the ballots I need and the votes I need to become our nominee,” Romney told a rally in Marion, Iowa.

Romney and libertarian congressman Ron Paul are neck-and-neck in the lead in Iowa polls in the start of the fight to decide who will face Democratic President Barack Obama in next November’s election.

But Santorum, a socially conservative Roman Catholic, could pull off a surprise after uniting voters from the Christian right who have been divided for months. The top three or four finishers will likely have momentum, and maybe more money, to go into next week’s New Hampshire primary where polls show Romney winning by a landslide.

Santorum’s 11th-hour charge is just the latest twist in the Republican Party’s tortuous road to reclaim the White House – a race that has changed front-runners half a dozen times already. In a time of weak economic and job growth and bitter bipartisan fights in Washington, voters seem to be unsure of their choices.

DES MOINES (Reuters) – Republican rivals took aim at the conservative credentials of a surging Rick Santorum on Monday in hopes of heading off a last-minute victory by the former senator a day before Iowa kicks off the 2012 presidential election season.

Santorum, a second-tier candidate until a jump in the polls last week, claimed momentum as he and other Republican candidates barnstormed across Iowa, criticizing each other and trying to bolster turnout ahead of Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses.

Mitt Romney, a front-runner and former Massachusetts governor, didn’t take shots at Santorum but did speak confidently of victory after weeks of playing it safe in Iowa. His campaign said Romney was referring to the presidential nomination, not specifically Iowa, which he lost in 2008 despite a spirited effort.

“We’re going to win this thing with all of our passion and strength and do everything we can to get this campaign on the right track to go across the nation and to pick up other states and get the ballots I need and the votes I need to become our nominee,” Romney told a rally in Marion, Iowa.

Romney and libertarian congressman Ron Paul are neck-and-neck in the lead in Iowa polls in the start of the fight to decide who will face Democratic President Barack Obama in next November’s election.

But Santorum, a socially conservative Roman Catholic, could pull off a surprise after uniting voters from the Christian right who have been divided for months. The top three or four finishers will likely have momentum, and maybe more money, to go into next week’s New Hampshire primary where polls show Romney winning by a landslide.

Santorum’s 11th-hour charge is just the latest twist in the Republican Party’s tortuous road to reclaim the White House – a race that has changed front-runners half a dozen times already. In a time of weak economic and job growth and bitter bipartisan fights in Washington, voters seem to be unsure of their choices.

LEMARS, Iowa (Reuters) – Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney said on Saturday he would veto a proposal granting U.S. citizenship to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children, a pledge that won hearty applause from Iowa conservatives he hopes to win over.

A young woman asked Romney about the bipartisan proposal known as the Dream Act, during an appearance at a crowded restaurant in Le Mars, a conservative Republican stronghold in western Iowa.

“The question is if I were elected and Congress were to pass the Dream Act, would I veto it and the answer is yes,” Romney said.

“For those that come here illegally, the idea of giving them in-state tuition credits or other special benefits, I find to be contrary to the idea of a nation of laws,” Romney said.

“If I’m the president of the United States I want to end illegal immigration so that we can protect legal immigration. I like legal immigration.”

Under the Dream Act, which was brought up in the Senate in May, young undocumented immigrants who have lived most of their lives in the United States and graduate from U.S. high schools would be eligible for a conditional six-year “path to citizenship” if they earn a college degree or serve two years in the military.

Romney also said he would secure the U.S.-Mexico border with a fence and enough Border Patrol agents to guard it.

MIAMI (Reuters) – The aroma of baking bread wafts through the supermarket, even when the ovens are empty. The breezy scent of coconut oil floats through the bathing suit aisle of the department store when summer is months away.

Welcome to the world of scent marketing. Retailers are increasingly using ambient scents to induce shoppers to stay longer, spend more and maybe even behave a little more kindly toward fellow shoppers.

Beyond just creating a pleasant environment, the nascent scent marketing industry uses fragrance to tap into memory and emotion to strengthen brand identity.

Retailers are wary of discussing it lest they be accused of manipulation. But the fragrance makers, researchers and advertising agents gathered in Miami Beach for the ScentWorld conference in December were happy to explain their art.

“Control is one of the most important parts,” said Scentevents founder Neal Harris. “Too much could be way too much.”

His Los Angeles company provided the cotton candy aroma that sweetened arenas around the world during pop singer Katy Perry’s recent candy-themed “California Dreams” tour. At a Hollywood Halloween party, he did what theme parks are rumored to do by releasing a popcorn aroma to put guests in a snacking mood.

“When you smell popcorn you want to eat it. But they’re not popping the popcorn there,” Harris said.

MIAMI (Reuters) – Three influential Cuban-American Republicans endorsed Mitt Romney as the party’s presidential nominee on Tuesday in a move aimed at boosting his support among the party’s conservative and Hispanic voters.

“The three amigos are back!” Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said as she joined Representative Mario Diaz-Balart and his brother, former Representative Lincoln Diaz-Balart, to make the endorsement at a food company warehouse in Miami.

Ros-Lehtinen told reporters that she liked all the party’s presidential candidates but threw her support to Romney because “he’s the most electable.”

Flanked by crates of guava paste and coconut water, Romney accepted the endorsement at the warehouse of Conchita Foods, a family-run food company founded by Cuban exiles.

The three conservative Republicans are prominent figures in Miami’s 850,000-strong Cuban-American community, voters who could play an important part in the primary election on January 31 in Florida, the fourth-largest U.S. state.

Romney has steadily polled in the top tier of Republican candidates as several of his competitors have surged ahead then fallen back in the race for the party’s nomination to challenge Democratic President Barack Obama in the November 2012 election.

But the former venture capitalist has failed to persuade conservative Republicans to get on board. Many are skeptical of his tenure as governor of liberal-leaning Massachusetts, where he helped develop a state healthcare plan that inspired Obama’s federal one, which is widely reviled among Republicans.

MIAMI (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain sipped Cuban-style coffee and tossed out a few Spanish words during a sweaty rally in the heart of Miami’s Cuban exile community on Wednesday, but made only one vague reference to Florida’s communist Caribbean neighbor.

The former pizza company executive laid out his plan for reviving the American economy during the rally in the parking lot of the Versailles restaurant in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood.

“What about freedom for Cuba?” a man in the crowd shouted.

“Freedom for Cuba now!” Cain replied and went back to outlining his plan to boost U.S. job creation.

He said he would throw out the current tax code and “Pass a new structure called ‘nueve, nueve, nueve’,” the Spanish numbers for his signature 9-9-9 tax proposal to levy a flat 9 percent corporate, income and sales tax.

Cain led the polls for a while among candidates vying for the Republican nomination to challenge President Barack Obama in the November 2012 presidential election. His popularity has slipped recently amid sexual harassment allegations from several women, which he has denied.

The Versailles restaurant is the de facto headquarters of Miami’s Cuban exile community and a required stop for anyone seeking votes among conservative Republican Cuban-Americans.

NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) – The beige-carpeted room where an al Qaeda chief appeared last week charged with blowing a hole in the side of an American warship looks like any modern court, with pop-up computer screens at lawyers’ tables and a judge in black robes presiding from the bench.

But it sits in a warehouse-like building on an abandoned airfield at the Guantanamo Bay Navy base in southeast Cuba, ringed by barbed wire and nestled among rows of khaki tents and trailers in an “expeditionary” compound that was never meant to be permanent.

A decade after President George W. Bush authorized military tribunals for terrorism suspects, the Obama administration is plodding forward with new tribunals at a glacial pace, hampered by persistent political and legal arguments over the procedures and principles involved.

“I think we’ve botched this so bad that we’re past the point of redemption,” said retired Air Force Colonel Moe Davis, a former chief prosecutor for the Guantanamo tribunals and now one of their strongest critics. He quit because of what he called political meddling and pressure to use evidence obtained through methods he considered torture.

The tribunals authorized by Bush in an executive order on November 13, 2001, were set up to try non-U.S. citizens on terrorism charges outside the regular U.S. federal and military courts.

Those who plotted the hijacked plane attacks of September 11, 2001, were neither civilians nor warriors and did not deserve the legal protections granted to either, Bush argued.

Ten years and three major revisions later, the tribunals remain largely untested.