Vilsack is the first to leave the field....

The Associated Press is reporting that former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack is dropping out of the Democratic race for president - the first to leave the field after several months of people jumping into the race.

Sen. Carl Leven, D-MI, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee is this week's featured guess on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday morning news show. No doubt he'll be talking about the issue of funding the needs of the military - but whether that will include any talk about increasing submarine production is uncertain.

Others set to offer their wisdom this Sunday are former President Jimmy Carter (the only submariner ever elected president) on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopolous and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on CBS's Face the Nation. (I know of no Schwarzenegger/submarine connection unless somewhere in his resume he might have starred in a movie that featured one.)