Tom Vilsack Dies From Lack of Oxygen

Tom Vilsack, a popular former governor of Iowa, dropped out as a Democratic presidential candidate today. Vilsack himself cited the inability to raise enough money as his main problem.

"The reality, however, is that the process has become, to a great extent, about money, a lot of money. …So it is money and only money that is the reason we are leaving today."

But Vilsack's problem wasn't money; it was oxygen. The Democrats ran several political dwarfs in 1994 and usually run one contender and several dwarfs. For 2008, however, the Democrats have two candidates who enjoy genuine national popularity--Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. With Clinton and Obama sucking away all the media attention, there's no room for anybody like Tom Vilsack to make headway in establishing a national presence, recruiting a strong staff, or raising money. There was just no oxygen in the room for Vilsack. The same is the case for Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, Bill Richardson, and other third tier candidates. John Edwards has already been established as the "alternative candidate" if Clinton or Obama falters. The other guys are just hanging around.