Money ruins the process

Former Iowa Gov. Tim Vilsack dropped out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination today, a victim of the unlikelihood that he could raise tens of millions of dollars in the next few months to give him even an outside chance.

Too bad. The process has become so tainted by money that candidates like Vilsack never get an opportunity to present themselves to the American public. The playing field isn't level. This is a hell of a way to choose the next leader of the free world.

But, hey, we get what we deserve, right? And look at what we've got now: the most unpopular president in more than a generation and arguably one of the worst in American history.