The Democratic free-for-all!

Today, I thought I'd touch on some politics. Normally, I stay away from these sort of topics, but I find myself intrigued by one element above all others as the 2008 presidential race gets under way:

The diversity of presidential candidates - legitimate candidates - on the Democratic side.

This could be a historic race, as three prominent minorities are facing off with the usual assortment of white men for the right to take on the Republican candidate in November 2008.


With the incumbent president unable to run again, and the vice president apparently unwilling, this race could be a legitimate free-for-all, on both sides.

But only on the Democratic side are there some business-not-as-usual photos on the ol' candidate Web site.

(In current order of prominence...)

There's a woman:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, the former First Lady

There's an African-American:

Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois

And a Hispanic:

Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico

There are, of course, your typical white-guy Washington insiders on the Democratic ticket, too:


Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware


Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, the 2004 vice presidential nominee

There are the usual longshots, also white guys:


Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut


Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, trying his luck again after losing in 2004


And the one I had to look up, former Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska, who hasn't been in Congress since 1981

Of course, there are the darkhorse, unofficial "maybe" candidates:


The man who many people say was elected in 2000, former Vice President Al Gore, riding the wave of "An Inconvenient Truth" back to popularity.


And Gen. Wesley Clark (ret.), the highly regarded but little-supported military man

And there's even one guy who quit almost before he started:


Former Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa, one of the first in, but undoubtedly the first out

Did I miss anybody? Yeah, it's that kind of race: 21 months to weed out the weak and flawed and find out if America is ready for a woman president, or a black president, or a Latino president... or even a woman Democratic nominee, or a black Democratic nominee, or a Latino nominee. Or if it'll be Joe Biden or John Edwards taking on John McCain in November 2008.

(And hey, no Asians?)