Howard Dean becomes the first Democratic candidate ever to to skip public financing for a presidential campaign.

Dean made his decision based on a high-tech tally of 600,000 supporters, whom he asked to vote by e-mail, Internet, telephone or regular mail through Friday.

He was announcing the results at noon EST in Burlington, Vt., but campaign officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said about 85 percent of the 105,000 supporters who weighed in urged the former Vermont governor to opt out. He becomes the first candidate in Democratic Party history to take such a step.

We're beginning to believe that Dean is unstoppable and will be the candidate. Of course, it's still a ways away, and anything can happen, but Clark doesn't seem to have gotten the traction he needs as yet.

We're still holding back on making a final choice, but it may not be long. We hope that Dean will give criminal justice issues a higher priority and that his advisors move him a little to the left on these issues.

We think Wesley Clark would make a great VP candidate for Dean. We like John Edwards too, although his time may be coming in 2008 if Bush wins re-election in 2004. Then again, 2008 already seems to belong to Hillary.

Update: Atrios doesn't think Dean has the nomination sewn up. Like us, he hasn't endorsed a candidate yet. And this is true:

When the candidate is chosen, it's going to be important to rally behind him (sorry Ambassador Moseley-Braun, but....), with your time, energy, and wallets. Don't lose sight of that.

Dave Cullen at Conclusive Evidence explains Dean's decision.