People always complain that the media focuses too much on money and insiders in politics, and not enough on the worthiness of the candidates. Well, we may soon get an object lesson in why the media does what it does.

Consider Mike Huckabee. He’s definitely got the Big Mo, he’s ahead in the Iowa polls, he’s close in New Hampshire and he’s rapidly closing in on Rudy Giuliani nationally. He’s also got next to no staff and is painfully short on cash.

Want to know why money and staff matter? Because this election calendar is a killer to the Mike Huckabees of the world.

Looming on the horizon are the big primaries of February, when Republicans in 26 states vote in just two weeks. You can’t campaign effectively in 26 states in that amount of time. As a result, you need a ton of money for massive advertising buys, and you need staff to spread your message and run multiple simultaneous campaign efforts.

If you don’t have those things in place, you might need a miracle. Huckabee believes in miracles, and if he gets one, then we can have a real conversation about changing the way the media covers presidential campaigns. Until then, though, expect to read more about money and staff.