(FORTUNE Magazine) – Q: What's the quickest way to get rid of Saddam Hussein? A: Give him the Democratic presidential nomination. The Washington joke highlights the Democrats' dilemma: Hardly anyone of any political stature seems to want the party's top honor. By this time in 1987, 18 months before the election, eight candidates were campaigning and most had worn out a couple of pairs of galoshes trudging around Iowa and New Hampshire. Now, just nine months before the key Iowa caucuses, the only Democrats who've even expressed interest publicly are long shots: former Senators George McGovern and Paul Tsongas and Virginia Governor Doug Wilder, still serving his first term. Tarred by his opposition to the war, Georgia Senator Sam Nunn has taken himself out of the race. So has New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley, who barely ! got reelected in 1990. Faced with overwhelming odds against beating Bush, other Democratic heavyweights seem to be losing interest. Among them: House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt, Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen, and New York Governor Mario Cuomo. Of course, any Bush reversals could fire them up. Who's left otherwise? Topping the oddsmakers' list is Tennessee Senator Al Gore, whose support of Bush on the war gives him a leg up. Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey and Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton could also emerge as contenders. Then there's Jesse Jackson, who's got a solid bloc of black voters in his pocket and may be the only liberal with passion seeking the nomination. Says Jackson: ''If I run for it, I will win.'' At this point, anything is possible.