Then There Were Thirteen

Fifteen months before the first vote is cast, former Virginia governor Mark Warner, calls it quits for his 2008 presidential run.

In announcing his decision, Warner said he wants a life:

I have decided not to run for President.

This past weekend, my family and I went to Connecticut to celebrate my Dad’s 81st birthday, and then we took my oldest daughter Madison to start looking at colleges.

I know these moments are never going to come again. This weekend made clear what I’d been thinking about for many weeks—that while politically this appears to be the right time for me to take the plunge—at this point, I want to have a real life.

And while the chance may never come again, I shouldn’t move forward unless I’m willing to put everything else in my life on the back burner.

It's the old fire in the belly thing.

Warner's departure from the race leaves 13 possible Democratic 2008 presidential candidates:

1. Indiana Senator and former governor, Evan Bayh
2. Delaware Senator and chief Democratic plagiarist, Joe Biden
3. Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, General Wesley Clark
4. New York Senator and presumed front runner, Hillary Clinton
5. Former Democratic Senate Leader Tom Daschle
6. Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd
7. Former North Carolina Senator and the Democrats' 2004 vice presidential candidate, John Edwards
8. Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold
9. Former vice president, 2000 Democratic presidential nominee, and self-proclaimed internet inventor, Al Gore
10. Massachusetts Senator and 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, John Kerry
11. Illinois freshman Senator Barack Obama
12. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson
13. Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack
14. Former Virginia governor Mark Warner

Pundits universally took Warner's exit to be good news for Hillary. I have no argument with that. Warner had proven he could win in a Republican-leaning state and was doing well raising millions of dollars. Although the $9 million he raised as of August 31 pales to the more than $40 million Hillary had raised for her Senatorial reelection as of April.

Comments

[Tom from Madison]

The constant unchallenged criticism of all things liberal is getting quite hackneyed. It's hard to argue that Democrats would mess things up more than Bush has done already. He's spending money without any discipline and without any regard for what the facts are in Iraq. He's also been a disaster for civil rights. I doubt you would entrust Hilary Clinton with the kind of power George Bush has now. If our constitution is to mean anything at all, Presidential power needs to be reined in.

Worse, he owes his election to come very corrupt people. Guys like Ken Lay, Jack Abramoff, and a host of other corrupt Republicans have been heaping debt on future generations and perpetuating a patronage-style government. Responsible Republicans are hoping for defeat in the mid-term elections and a reversal of course in foreign policy. Bush has been a disaster for all Americans, liberal and conservative.

[Denny]

The field of Democrats sure looks digusting. America must NOT elect any of them to high office. We don't need more liberals elected to screw up the country, we need LESS!