The Des Moines Register ran a story yesterday describing an Obama brochure provided to Iowa college students. “If you are not from Iowa, you can come back for the Iowa caucus and caucus in your college neighborhood,” the pamphlet read.

The paper’s political columnist, David Yepsen, wrote a blog called “The Illinois Caucus” on the strategy. “Asking people who are “not from Iowa” to participate in them changes the nature of the event,” Yepsen wrote.

The Clinton campaign in turn pounced on the story; a Clinton spokesman, Mo Elleithee, said, “We are not systematically trying to manipulate the Iowa caucuses with out of state people.” Team Obama returned fire: “Rather than denigrating the caucus rights of students who to school in Iowa, we would suggest the Clinton campaign organize them,” spokesman Bill Burton wrote.

When Obama held a rally Sunday at Iowa State University in Ames, he immediately brought up the issue. “Every Iowa State University student who lives in Ames is eligible to caucus. Understand that,” he said to several hundred students. “Don’t let people tell you that you can’t participate. You are an Iowa student; you can be an Iowa caucus-goer, and I want you to prove them wrong when they say you’re not gonna show up,” he continued. He did not use the phrase “not from Iowa” that Yepsen pointed out in his blog.

Veterinary student Maryanne Murphy is one of those out of state students who plans on being in Iowa during the caucus. The 25-year-old from New Jersey said she hopes to change her residency in order to participate in next month’s caucus. Murphy thinks her vote will count here in Iowa more than at home and believes it’s only fair that she caucus here. “I’m still registered to vote in NJ because I plan on going back there,” she told FOX News, “But, I think it’s important for me to be able to say how I feel since I live here.”

Yepsen was covering the event for the Des Moines Register, and had this to say about the issue.