As you may have heard, Nebraska Democrats will hold a Presidential caucus on February 9, 2008. And while we’re still a year out, the Democratic field appears to be set. So here’s a brief overview of everyone who has officially announced for President:

Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY). She’s incredibly popular among Democrats who long for the Bill Clinton years. She’s the frontrunner for the nomination, and she’s the first female with a real chance to be elected President. She’ll have to overcome concerns about her “electability,” and her initial support for the war in Iraq may hurt her in the primary. But it’s hard to ignore her strength within the party.

Senator Barack Obama (D-IL). Like Hillary, Obama is a potentially history-making candidate, as the first African-American with a real chance to be elected President. Obama’s message early on seems to be about the need to change the divisive tone of politics. Of the major candidates, Obama is the only one to oppose the war from the beginning. He’ll have to overcome questions about experience during the campaign.

Former Senator John Edwards (D-NC). The Vice Presidential candidate in 2004,  Edwards has been building his campaign for President since virtually the day after Election Day 2004. He’s been focusing on issues of poverty, and announced his candidacy from New Orleans in December. Like Clinton, Edwards also initially supported the war in Iraq, but has since apologized and expressed regret for his vote. His major challenge is going to be raising money, especially with Clinton and Obama in the field.

Those are what can be considered the “top tier” candidates. I think it’s safe to say that most of you know who they are, what they stand for, etc. Odds are, the folks left by the time we get to our caucus will be in the above group. The next group may not be so familiar.

Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM). This is a history-making field. Richardson is the first Latino candidate for President. He probably has the best diplomatic resume of any of the announced candidates, and he’s a governor. He’s going to have trouble breaking into the top tier to get the nomination (again, fundraising is an issue here), but he’s got to be one of the top candidates for VP.

Governor Tom Vilsack (D-IA). If his campaign logo didn’t remind me so much of “V for Vendetta,” or at least if he had Natalie Portman as a sidekick and wore a Guy Fawkes mask, I suppose I could get excited about his campaign. Election Day, unfortunately, is on the 4th of November, though if it’s anything like the last two elections, it’ll be the 5th of November before we know the winner.

Anyway, Vilsack has the unenviable task of needing to win Iowa in order to have any chance at the nomination, then, if he wins Iowa, explaining why it matters that he won his own home state.

Senator Joe Biden (D-DE). He’s clean, bright, and articulate.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT). A 32-year veteran of Congress, Dodd doesn’t seem to have much of a chance at winning the nomination. But he is speaking out on a lot of issues, which is half the reason why a lot of these candidates get in the race even though they might not win.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH). Kucinich is again running as the most left-wing candidate in the race, and doesn’t really have a chance at winning the nomination. But he’s going to be in there to shape the issues, which means, like in 2004, he’ll be in there until the nominee is decided.

Former Senator Mike Gravel (D-AK).Who? Exactly. The first Democrat to file with the FEC, (sometime last spring as I recall), Gravel is the most quixotic of the quixotic candidates, running on an unconventional platform: National Initiative for Democracy. Basically, instituting a direct democracy in America. He’s taken strong stands on Iraq and should probably be the most entertaining candidate to watch during the debates.

And those are your candidates as they stand right now. Hard as it is to believe, most of these campaigns are already in full swing, 11 months before the Iowa caucuses. We’ll have a chance to vote for them in just a little less than a year. In the meantime, I encourage you to watch the candidates and see where they stand, and who you will support. There’s plenty of time to make a decision, but it’s going to be a fun primary, and I think we’ve got a number of very strong candidates.