If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Howard Dean's race to the fore of the Democrat nominees for the 2004 election is generating some impressive statistics. His fast-track rush to widespread popularity no doubts reflects widespread angst in the US about George W. Bush's extreme politics and the disastrous position in which he is placing mainstream American families. Dean's online campaign also reflects the un-tapped potential of Internet "buzz".

Fund-raising for Dean is soon expected to top $10 million, which would make him only the second Democratic candidate to hit that mark in the year before an election (Clinton being the first). Interestingly, Dean is also considering the option of fore-going public funding for his campaign.

The funding is conditional on an agreement to curb funding. Candidates normally receive up to $250 in federal funds to match every private contribution up to $250 they receive, with a cap of $2000 per contributor for multiple contributions. The only other Presidential candidate who has ever fore-gone this public funding is - guess who? - G. W. Bush, whose 1999 campaign against Al Gore shattered all records and raised far more money than has ever been raised before.

Dean supporters say the idea of abandoning such funding curbs could alienate some Democrat supporters, but it may also be the only way to raise enough money to compete with Bush. In a nation where half the citizens typically cannot be bothered to vote, you need air-time and sound-bites to compete with the endless chatter of sports, celebrities and commercial advertising.