After all, shouldn't the people of South Carolina have a right to cast a vote for the candidate of their choice?

The momentum of the Colbert presidential campaign hit a cul-de-sac today when the South Carolina Democratic Party decided he wasnÂ’t a serious candidate and turned down his application to get on the ballot.

South Carolina is the only state where Stephen Colbert, the comedian and a native South Carolinian, has sought to get on the ballot. He did not try getting on the Republican ballot because that costs $35,000.

Mr. Colbert met the Democratic filing deadline of noon today to send in some paperwork and a check for $2,500.

But the partyÂ’s executive council just voted 13-3 not to certify him.

Carol Fowler, chairwoman of the state party, told us that the council “really agonized over this because they really like him, they love his show and everyone thinks it’s wonderful that he cares about us.”

But, she said, they decided he did not meet two basic requirements: that the person be generally acknowledge or recognized by the media as a viable nationwide candidate; and be actively campaigning for the South Carolina primary.

You mean to tell me that Colbert is a less viable candidate than Dennis Kucinich, Than Mike Gravel? Than Bill Richardson, Christopher Dodd or Joe Biden? I smell a lawsuit in the offing -- because the biggest obstacle to the democratic process in the South Carolina Democrat primary appears to be the state's Democrat party officials.

After all, don't forget this recent poll.

Public Opinion Strategies, a Republican polling firm, recently completed a national poll of 1,000 likely 2008 voters that included Colbert's name in both the GOP and Democratic primaries. (He has announced his plans to run in both the Democratic and Republican primaries.) In the field from Oct. 18-21, the survey has a 5 percent margin of error.

In the Democratic primary, Colbert takes 2.3 percent of the vote -- good for fifth place behind Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (40 percent), Sen. Barack Obama (19 percent), former Sen. John Edwards (12 percent) and Sen. Joe Biden (2.7 percent. Colbert finished ahead of Gov. Bill Richardson (2.1 percent), Rep. Dennis Kucinich (2.1 percent) and former Sen. Mike Gravel (less than 1 percent).

That does make yesterday's action look decidedly wrong-headed -- and designed to spare the party embarrassment, not to weed out candidates with no chance.

Here's hoping Colbert sues.

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