Short answer: You need enough to convince the American voters than you have enough. Historically, the minimum number of years has been 14, but the top three contenders for the nomination have less experience than any Democratic nominee in history.

I've attached a table that shows how much experience presidential candidates, including the 2008 field, had they year they ran for president.

I tried to make this as accurate and neutral as possible. However, if you'd like to contribute to it or correct it, please send email to high.steve@gmail.com, and I will give you access to the spreadsheet. Follow me to understand my methodology and to a read an observation about experience.

I don't hate Lieberman as much as Matt Stoller does only because I'm 3,000 miles further away from him right now. But I hate him enough.

I cried when McGovern lost, even though I didn't cry when my father, mother, and only brother subsequently died. They loved Roosevelt, Stevenson, and McGovern as well, and those election day tears went for them as well, I guess.

But the Lamont Campaign, like the McGovern Campaign before it, can change America. The Lamont alumni will play similarly important roles in the future of our party as the Dean alumni, from Dean on down, already are.

Lamont-Lieberman is the most important race in the country for anyone on this site.

Why? Not because it will lead to control of the Senate although that is a possibility. Holy Joe says he won't flip to the GOP, and I tend to believe him because he has given his word and he really does respect the Ten Commandments in his personal life. Still, nobody knows what he himself would do if Karl Rove promised to name an aircraft carrier after your wife and deposit $20 million in a numbered account. And Rove's got the money because they sure as hell haven't used it to catch bin Laden. Actually, I know what I'd do--I'd take the money, change my name, and get plastic surgery.

No, Lamont-Lieberman is the most important race in the country for anyone on this site. Here's why and what you can still do about it.

Something Old

In 1952 and 1958, Goldwater's campaign manager was a guy named Steve Shadegg. Arizona had three electoral votes. Shadegg wrote a book How to Win an Election, a topic in which I had a particular interest as a young campaign manager.

Half a century later, we can help Lamont win by taking a leaf out of the book of the original gate-crashers.

Here's how:

You just can't inhale this much shit this close to an election and ever breathe normally again.

Three decades back, back when network cameramen had to be shaken awake to film George McGovern's brilliant Bob Shrum-written Come Home, America speech that nobody but us heard, the delegates nominated Thomas Eagleton of Missouri to be McGovern's running mate. They voted on ballots with Mayor Kevin White's name crossed out and Sen. Tom Eagleton's name written in at the last minute. An intra-party bloodbath that had continued from the NH Primary to a deadly procedural challenge just 48 hours before had left the campaign little time for minor details like picking a vice-president and printing ballots.

Then, about ten days after the convention...