T

he process of selecting the Republican candidate for the 2012 US presidential election opened with the Iowa caucus last week and already the field has been cut down to four or five serious contenders. Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, is now the man to beat as the party goes through the primaries and caucuses in the coming months. Romney had led the polls and, sure enough, won in Iowa – although just barely.

Several names have come and gone as Romney’s erstwhile challengers. They include Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann from Minnesota, who quit the race after coming sixth in Iowa. More will follow in her steps after Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary.

Running an election in the US is a costly business, and only those with a serious chance of winning need to stay on after Iowa and New Hampshire.

Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum emerged as the surprising alternative to Romney in Iowa. Libertarian Ron Paul finished third as a non-mainstream Republican whose popularity further attests to how far away from the center the party has gone. Do not just yet rule out former House speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas governor Rick Perry, who came fourth and fifth respectively in Iowa.

If the Republican nomination process steals the show, it is because President Barack Obama will go unchallenged in getting the Democratic ticket. The incumbent President is not doing well for himself among Americans. His welfare legislation, the center piece of his presidency, is in tatters and the economy, always a decisive factor for previous presidents in winning a second term, remains in the doldrums.

Given his lame duck situation, this is really an election for Obama to lose. He is aided by the fact that Republicans are struggling to find a credible candidate to represent their right-wing ideology, but one who could still win the hearts and minds of voters in the middle of November.

One major lesson learned about the American democracy is that its electoral system does not always guarantee that the best leaders are elected, or even nominated. At best, it produces leaders who are most prepared to go through the grueling processes.

Whether they are fit for the job is something that they will have to prove once elected.