The Narrowing Field, A number of presidential contenders leave the race.

Saturday, December 23, 2006; Page A20
IN THEORY, this should be the most wide-open presidential contest in decades. In reality, more than a year before the first vote, the field seems to be narrowing awfully fast. On the Democratic side, former Virginia governor Mark Warner, Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold, former South Dakota senator Tom Daschle and, this week, Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh have announced they won't be running. On the Republican side, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee is leaving not just the Senate but the presidential race, and Virginia Sen. George Allen, once a leading contender, seems unlikely to toss his hat into the ring.
To be honest, we'll miss some of these candidates more than others. It's not unheard of to have such early dropouts: Former vice president Al Gore emerged from the "Saturday Night Live" hot tub at this time four years ago to announce he wouldn't be a candidate in 2004. And the field of announced candidates will certainly grow. North Carolina's John Edwards, the former Democratic vice presidential nominee, is set to make his announcement next week, joining Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack in the Democratic field.