If you're running in the second tier of candidates, struggling to become better known and get your message out, the front-loading is not a good thing, as Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico well knows.

Richardson is hardly a household name, yet he has the best resume in his party: U.N. ambassador, energy secretary, congressman, a two-term governor who cut taxes and an international troubleshooter who knows many of the world leaders on a first-name basis.

But lesser-known candidates have overcome their name-ID problem before. Colorado Sen. Gary Hart burst out of nowhere to beat former Vice President Walter Mondale in New Hampshire in 1984 and drove his underfunded campaign all the way to the convention.

Romney, a one-term governor who has never held any other office, is still little known on the national stage. But he has outraised his GOP rivals in the race for money and has pushed himself into the lead in Iowa and New Hampshire. So David is still capable of fighting Goliath.

Obama, a freshman senator without wealth or connections who was relatively little known nationally until this year, has propelled himself to the top of the heap as a result of his inspiring oratorical skills and likeable persona. And he has beaten Hillary Clinton in the fund-raising race, too.

So the American political system is still wide open to anyone with pluck and perseverance who aspires to the presidency, no matter how chaotic the nominating system may appear to be.

The selection process may move faster than it should, but that will still leave a longer period before the general election when the nominees will be challenged and tested anew -- exposing their candidacy, warts and all. The Republicans are good at that. Just ask John Kerry.