Steve Forbes announced he is leaving the race for President of these United States and it is with mixed feelings that we at the Daily say “good riddance, see you in four more.”

Why mixed feelings?

Why aren’t we just dancing in the aisles with unfettered glee and no sense of remorse?

Because even though he is grotesquely unqualified for the highest office in the land, Steve Forbes gives all Americans two things: a good laugh and hope that one day an outsider will enter the process who might actually be a good option.

You see, being rich doesn’t make you inherently qualified to be anything but rich especially if you inherited your riches. Forbes didn’t have to work for his money, it was handed to him.

Since when do Americans respect that?

What did Forbes bring to the table?

If the straw poll is any sign, he puts on a good spread.

But after the campaign is over, what do we get?

The flat-tax plan?

No matter how good his flat-tax plan sounds, it’s really about the only thing he can offer the public.

He can push it and push it, time and time again, but there’s no way it would ever materialize since the president can’t do much without the help of Congress on that front.

The guy also goes from being a moderate to a Christian conservative in the span of four years.

Quite frankly, you can’t trust a change like that. Have you ever known anyone who made that kind of serious life change? If the man wasn’t a Christian conservative four years ago, chances are he really isn’t one now and he is only doing it to get in with a broader constituency.

It wouldn’t surprise us if four years from now he wants to run as a Democrat in favor of civil rights reform and the welfare state.

Forbes makes for a great butt to an even greater number of jokes thrown at him from sources low and high. From Chris Rock to Bill Maher to Dennis Miller, Forbes takes hits and keeps on going.

His unblinking optimism that he WOULD make a good president at least speaks to his fortitude.

Forbes mixes things up and it has to be good for the economy to have someone throw $66 million to the wind.

If there was ever a chance that trickle down economics could work, it’s when Steve Forbes is running for public office.

So we bid farewell to Citizen Forbes and hope he comes back next time.

Iowa State Daily Editorial Board: Sara Ziegler, Greg Jerrett, Kate Kompas, Carrie Tett and David Roepke.