Tom Vilsack Officially Announces Presidential Run

Tom Vilsack has made it official: he's running; here's the story from Jeff Zeleny of The New York Times:

Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa formally opened his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday, billing himself as the not-from-Washington candidate who would strive to renew a forgotten sense of community across America and offer common-sense judgment in foreign policy.

Mr. Vilsack, who is stepping down in January after two terms as governor, was the first Democrat to declare his presidential intentions officially. He staged a rally in his adopted hometown, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, before setting off on a five-day tour to the early primary states of New Hampshire and South Carolina, as well as his native Pennsylvania.

“I have always been an underdog and a long shot,” Mr. Vilsack said, addressing one of the biggest challenges he faces in a fiercely competitive 2008 campaign. “I’ve always been inspired by the stories of ordinary citizens who worked hard, overcame adversity and succeeded.”

It begins. A presidential campaign to chart a new course for the nation and bring a close to the radical right wing agenda of today's Republicans won't be finished at least until the next presidential election. Vilsack is clearly a moderate; the only caution I would urge is not to emphasize too much the idea of not being from Washington. That was Jimmy Carter's main theme in 1976 and although he won, his lack of knowledge about Washington did not serve him well.

Vilsack, like possible presidential candidate Bill Richardson, has the advantage of being a governor and therefore the image of a seasoned executive. Though Bush had the same initial image of being a governor and an executive, voters will be more discerning this time and Vilsack will come across as a capable candidate. As of now, Vilsack inherits the advantage that Mark Warner would have had by running as a former governor but Warner has definitely dropped out to pursue a different course.

Tom Vilsack, however, lacks some of the foreign policy experience some of the other likely candidates have but he's off to a good start by simply talking about common sense—something that has been lacking from our foreign policy for the last six years.

Let's hope the Democrats get someone who can win the presidency this time. I think we'll have a good line-up of candidates, including Tom Vilsack.