Vilsack bails...

The first casualty of the 2008 campaign (from the WaPo):

Former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack, who was the first Democrat to announce his candidacy for president in 2008 but has found it difficult to raise the money needed to compete against his better-known rivals, quit the race today.

“This process has become to a great extent about money — a lot of money,” he told reporters at a news conference today. “And it is clear to me that we would not be able to continue to raise money in the amounts necessary to sustain not just a campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire, but a campaign across this country.

“So it is money and only money that is the reason that we are leaving today.”