Sen. Brownback’s presidential campaign may be over before it began:

If money talks in politics, Sen. Sam Brownback’s nascent presidential campaign is but a ghostly whisper.

And if he doesn’t increase his fundraising soon, Brownback risks being drowned out before voters even think about tuning in to 2008.

Money is only one of the obstacles that have emerged to hamper the 49-year-old Kansas Republican’s long-shot effort to ride his politics of conservatism and faith to the White House.

He’s made a few visits but no inroads in New Hampshire, site of the first presidential primary. He’s being outflanked on the right in Iowa, site of the nation’s first caucus. A spate of national media attention hasn’t translated into higher poll numbers, where he’s the top pick of only 1 percent to 2 percent of registered Republicans. And he upset a big chunk of the conservative base by taking a moderate stance on the burning issue of immigration.

Brownback is far behind his better-known competitors in the money chase.

He reported raising less than $200,000 so far this year for his Restore America Political Action Committee; such PACs are how prospective candidates raise money and pay expenses before opening a formal campaign committee. He has about $125,000 left in the bank. Add to that the money left in his Senate campaign fund, which can be transferred to a presidential treasury, and Brownback has about $760,000 on hand.

We never thought we’d be the highest fundraiser,” Hart said. “That’s not the way the dynamic works. We were always going to be the grassroots candidate.”

Those grassroots haven’t taken hold yet.

Brownback’s three trips to New Hampshire, all one-event-and-out affairs, are most notable for their apparent lack of understanding of what Granite Staters expect from candidates, said James Pindell, managing editor of PoliticsNH.com, a well-regarded Web site.

“What typically happens is a candidate will come, do a morning event and an evening event, and spend hours in between sitting in hotel rooms meeting with party activists,” Pindell said. “This is basic. Brownback’s not doing that. It makes me wonder who’s giving him advice about coming to New Hampshire.

Brownback’s high-profile roles during two Supreme Court nominations, the effort to publicize the Darfur genocide and the fight against expanded embryonic stem cell research won much national media attention during the past year. But polls show him mired at 1 percent or 2 percent among Republican presidential contenders ‘ about where he was a year ago.

Sen. Brownback looks to be the first victim to fall in what will be the most expensive presidential contest in American history. The cost of the race, along with the frontloaded primary calender, makes 2008 the least hospitable?contest for an insurgent?candidate in either party, perhaps?ever.

Get ready for a battle?between the 800 lbs. gorillas of each party. There will be no “Jimmy Carters” this time around.??