. . . until the New Hampshire primary.
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has an astonishing resume. Tufts undergrad; Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy for grad school. Former seven-term congressman, current governor. Former Secretary of the Department of Energy; former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Peace negotiator.
This bundle of qualifications seems just right for the times. Richardson's experience in international affairs would help in starting to repair the damage done to our relations with just about every other country in the world by the current administration. His experience as energy secretary would position him to do something serious about our fossil fuel addiction and the distortions in our foreign policy that it causes. His experience in both the executive and legislative branches of government would enable him to move legislation through Congress.
The chief problem with his candidacy is that people don't vote for resumes. George H.W. Bush had an outstanding resume too, and people turned him out of office after four years. Richardson is not as well-known to people as Hillary Clinton or John Edwards. Ironically, though he has far more extensive experience than Barack Obama, I suspect his name recognition is not nearly as high.
Richardson's position on the issues is encouraging. He favors pulling out of Iraq this year. He believes in holding direct talks with Iran and North Korea. He links energy and environmental policies and points out that in New Mexico, "we're requiring that 10 percent of all energy come from renewable sources and we're moving toward 20 percent, we've provided incentives for solar, wind, biofuels and other renewables. . . ."
Richardson may have been what those voters in Iowa and New Hampshire thought they were getting in 2004 when they "dated Dean, married Kerry." If Obama turns out to be like Dean--an out-of-nowhere candidate who generates tremendous buzz and then crashes back to earth--there could be an opening for a candidate like Richardson who is clearer on his Iraq policy than Hillary Clinton and far more experienced than John Edwards. Right now, though, at this (absurdly) early stage of the game, Richardson is the best qualified Democratic candidate in the field. He's fighting the Mod Squad (Obama, Edwards, Clinton) for media attention.
Richardson's candidacy resembles that of Bruce Babbit, another highly-regarded and deeply-experienced southwestern governor who ran for President in 1988 and got a whopping 4.7% of the New Hampshire vote, and dropped out shortly afterwards. Babbitt was something of a media darling, the thinking man's candidate. This was the kiss of death for his candidacy. When a fan told Adlai Stevenson that he would get the vote of every thinking American, he replied "Yes, ma'am, but I need a majority." That's what happened to Babbitt. Richardson will have to find some way to generate real popular excitement about his campaign, or it may be his fate as well. Which would be too bad.
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