MJMANDALAY
02-23-2007, 12:44 PM
DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) -- Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack said Friday he is dropping out of the 2008 Democratic race for president.
Vilsack's campaign lasted 15 weeks.
"The reality is that this process has become ... about money, a lot of money," the former two-term governor told reporters.
Vilsack, a harsh critic of the Iraq war, was considered a long shot for gaining the Democratic Party's nomination. He faced stiff competition, notably from Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois.
Vilsack opposed President Bush's plan to send more U.S. troops to Iraq, and said this week that Congress should immediately cut funding for the war, according to the Des Moines Register.
Speaking at the first issues forum of the 2008 Democratic presidential campaign, Vilsack said his rivals eventually will agree with his stance.
"As more and more of our young people die, as more helicopters are shot down ... I think more and more Americans are going to see the wisdom of this position," he told reporters after the forum. "And I will guarantee you, six months from now, virtually everybody on that stage today will be where I am today."
Vilsack proposes diverting the war funding to the development of alternative fuels.
Eight of the nine Democrats running for president participated in the Wednesday event in Carson City, Nevada, sponsored by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, an influential Democratic voting bloc.
Vilsack formally announced his presidential candidacy in November; his gubernatorial term ended in January.
On other issues:
Vilsack supports abortion rights.
As governor, he deployed Iowa National Guard troops to assist at the California-Mexico border to aid Bush's immigration proposals.
He supports Iowa's law banning same-sex marriage but says a federal or state constitutional ban is unnecessary. He supports civil unions for same-sex couples.
He opposes the Bush plan to allow workers to divert some Social Security payroll taxes into private retirement accounts. He signed state law phasing out income taxes on Social Security benefits.
Vilsack's campaign lasted 15 weeks.
"The reality is that this process has become ... about money, a lot of money," the former two-term governor told reporters.
Vilsack, a harsh critic of the Iraq war, was considered a long shot for gaining the Democratic Party's nomination. He faced stiff competition, notably from Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois.
Vilsack opposed President Bush's plan to send more U.S. troops to Iraq, and said this week that Congress should immediately cut funding for the war, according to the Des Moines Register.
Speaking at the first issues forum of the 2008 Democratic presidential campaign, Vilsack said his rivals eventually will agree with his stance.
"As more and more of our young people die, as more helicopters are shot down ... I think more and more Americans are going to see the wisdom of this position," he told reporters after the forum. "And I will guarantee you, six months from now, virtually everybody on that stage today will be where I am today."
Vilsack proposes diverting the war funding to the development of alternative fuels.
Eight of the nine Democrats running for president participated in the Wednesday event in Carson City, Nevada, sponsored by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, an influential Democratic voting bloc.
Vilsack formally announced his presidential candidacy in November; his gubernatorial term ended in January.
On other issues:
Vilsack supports abortion rights.
As governor, he deployed Iowa National Guard troops to assist at the California-Mexico border to aid Bush's immigration proposals.
He supports Iowa's law banning same-sex marriage but says a federal or state constitutional ban is unnecessary. He supports civil unions for same-sex couples.
He opposes the Bush plan to allow workers to divert some Social Security payroll taxes into private retirement accounts. He signed state law phasing out income taxes on Social Security benefits.