Yesterday’s Virginian-Pilot reprinted an article by New York Times op-ed writer David Brooks with the above title. In it, Brooks lays out the case for New Mexico governor Bill Richardson.
He is, after all, the most experienced person running for president.
It seems I’m not the only one who thinks that Richardson may be the Democrats best choice in 2008. The article points out some pretty significant pluses for him, not the least of which is that reporters like him.
…once a century or so the Democratic Party actually nominates somebody the average person would like to have a beer with. Bill Richardson is that kind of guy.
I’m going to be watching Richardson closely. He may very well be the dark horse candidate that comes out of the pack.
UPDATE: The link to the VP copy of the article has changed, so I’ve removed it. The NT Times requires registration. Here is another reprint of the article.
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VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Richardson certainly has great foreign policy experience. However, he was also part of the Wen Ho Lee fiasco, so that puts me against him.
If Gore doesn’t come into it I will sit on the sidelines. After all, someone will get nominated.
anon – Bill Richardson is the sitting governor, not the former governor. And he’s far more than that. From the article:
Made a contribution, got the bumper sticker. We were very, very happy when Richardson declared. He’s not only the candidate with the most varied and practical experience, Democratic or Republican, he also has something we’ve been missing for years — common sense. We would love to have a President who can actually govern, instead of another ideologue.
Alice-right there with you.
Vivian,
Of all the major candidates, I would rather have a beer with Richardson. However, he is still a right-wing, tax-cutting, free-trade, DLC democrat. We already have that in spades with the top three candidates. Don’t need another. I still like him though. He is very earthy and very real in a way the others are not.
Vivian
I´m saying to my brazilian readers for months that Bill Richardson is the most winnable candidate in the democratic side.
I thought that I´m the only one… 😉
Richardson is far from being good. But he is not a warhawk like Hillary, Edwards or Obama.
I guess the question is this: if you were voting today and the choices were Obama, Clinton or Richardson, who would you pick?
When I worked in NM during the special Congressional election in ’98 Richardson was the UN Ambassador and couldnt really do much for us…..however, he did allow us access to former staff and openned some great fundraising doors.
I have not doubt that if he could have campaigned for our candidate Phil Maloof we would have had a Dem in NM’s 1rst Cong district. He has amazing charisma and is great on the campaign trail.
While I’m more of a “Wellstone” Democrat I think he is a formidable candidate and should not be written off. The only hurdle I can see is the $$ issue…will Obama and Clinton drain the Dem fundraising pool? He’s a great package- he has International affairs experience- unlike the currently appointed President we are cursed with and has an impressive resume. I think you are right on Vivian- he could be a winner.
Maria
As someone who lived in New Mexico when Richardson was in Congress, I was *extrememly* excited when he announced. I’ve been spending my time since trying to convince people how ultimately qualified for and deserving of the job he is. He is more of a statesman than a politician, and just a good person.
When I was in the state, there was a Republican governor, and one Republican senator. I do not think I came across one person during my time there that had a single bad thing to say about Richardson – whether it be his politics, personal life, of anything else for that matter. He only served as a source of pride. He rose above the fray in so many instances – local, national, and international. He has served his state, his country, and the international community. He has more experience than anyone else in either the Democratic or Republican field, and is honestly the only person in the entire race I could back without any reserve.
Watch and listen to him. I just hope that some dimwit party campaign manager doofus doesn’t try to spin him into something he’s not. But I don’t think he would let that happen after all these years.