Mitt Romney's win in Iowa kicks off what is likely to be a long Republican campaign to choose their nominee for the 2012 US presidential election. Much of the coverage of the Republican candidates is critical: they emerge as "weirdos" in a cattle car. That's the focus for this look at the world papers, Wednesday 4th January 2011.

The UK’s The Independent has a cartoon showing the race between the Republican candidates is now underway. The image shows a race official - a Republican Elephant - firing a gun into his head, not into the air.

USA Today International's cartoon shows people queuing up to return their unwanted Christmas items. And at the back of the queue is that Elephant again, ‘returning’ the Republican candidates.

The Washington Post leads with “Romney defends conservative credentials, says he was the conservative alternative 4 years ago”.

The Huffington Post has two pieces on Rick Santorum. “Caucus performance bolstered by Tea Party, religious voters”. And “States should have power to ban birth control, sodomy”.

The New Republic reports on “Rick Perry, Texas Governor And Iowa Goat”, arguing he “simply lost it” with his Iowa campaign.

And The International Herald Tribune cartoon depicts the Republican candidates as “weirdos” in a cattle car. The advice: “Don’t make eye contact”.

By Nicholas RUSHWORTH