And, unfortunately, they are two of the most qualified in the pack -- and the guy with the best resume on paper may not be far behind them.

As I went to bed last night, I saw a couple of stories about the demise of the Chris Dodd campaign.

Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut abandoned his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday after a poor showing in Iowa's precinct caucuses.

"Tonight I am withdrawing from the presidential race but let me assure you, we are not ending this race with our heads hanging but with our heads held high," Dodd told about 100 supporters here.

"I am not going anywhere," he added, to loud cheers. "I will be fighting for the United States."

When one reads his record of accomplishments, one ought to be mystified why this candidacy never took off -- if the process in place is designed to choose the best qualified candidate.

And then this morning I discovered the second casualty of Iowa, Joe Biden.

One does have to wonder how long Bill Richardson has left in this race -- which is too bad, because on paper he has the best experience for the job.