The ‘08 presidential election is already shaping up to be the costliest in history and Hillary Clinton jumped out of the gate with her sights set at fundraising for the primaries and the general election, thus setting the bar for all contenders. So when voters cast their ballots at the first in the nation primary, still a year away, will they be dropping ballots in the ballot box or cash in the kitty?

AP News reports that Hillary Clinton has an $11 million “advantage over her Democratic rivals.”

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama had about $500,000 in his account, Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut had some $5 million that he could transfer and Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware had about $3 million.

The Obama camp is reportedly planning a run on “on the substance of his message (”the audacity of hope,” as his book title put it) rather than on proving his ability to win a general election.”

The WaPo reports on Obama’s challenge:

For all the buzz about his running, Obama did not enter the race with the conventional weapons of a presidential candidate — a deep database of donors, a tactical road map for winning primaries or even a sign marking the entrance to his ad hoc campaign headquarters. Obama is only now starting to build a political infrastructure that matches his growing support.

But the challenge for Obama is not just assembling the nuts and bolts of a national campaign on the fly. He must, his advisers believe, do so in a way that reflects the distinct, next-generation message of his candidacy, or at least avoids making him look like every other politician in the race. “I would sooner lose the race than lose having him the way he is,” said David Axelrod, his chief media strategist.

In a money driven political system, money walks – substance only talks. What hope do voters have to have their ballots counted?

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