I guess it depends on what your definition of "no one" is

In today's column, David Broder wrings his hands and writes of Barack Obama that

No one in recent decades has emerged as the party standard-bearer from so truncated a political career: four years in the U.S. Senate, during which he has yet to lead on any major domestic or foreign policy issue, preceded by largely anonymous service in the Illinois state Senate.

Broder neglects to mention the eight years Obama served in state government, which brings Obama's total years in elected office to twelve. Meanwhile, the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue had spent a mere six years as governor of Texas -- one of the weaker governorships in the Union, and one where he accomplished nothing of note, at that -- when he ran in 2000. But I guess that was, you know, different.

(While I'm critical of today's column, I have to give Broder credit for this 2001 column in which he calls Jesse Helms what he was: "[T]he last prominent unabashed white racist politician in this country.")