Consider Bill Richardson

I'm going to ask you all to look at (and consider giving your support to) New Mexico governor Bill Richardson for the 2008 presidential nomination of the Democratic Party. Before his election as governor here a little over four years ago, Richardson served as the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. and Secretary of Energy after beginning his political career as the Congressman from my district (at that time one of two) in New Mexico. His three most recent positions — U.N. Ambassador, Secretary of Energy, and Governor — make him the ONLY Democrat in the race with real executive and international experience.

Not that I always agree with him. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I REALLY don't. But Richardson is a man one can rely on. You may not always like the answers you get from him, but the answers he gives won't change from one audience to another — as we have seen in the last two presidential candidate debates. He has honor, and standards. And he's one heck of a negotiator. Last fall, for example, he went to Sudan on behalf of the U.S. and secured the release of Chicago Tribune reporter Paul Salopek, whose family lives in New Mexico near Las Cruces. He also still gets calls to speak with foreign government representatives, often at the New Mexico governor's mansion, even though he's now been out of the federal service for six years.

Obviously, you'll have to make your own decision as to whether this politician is worthy of your support. But I will say he is definitely worth looking at. I will also say that he is, in my view, the only current presidential candidate of my party that might be worth voting for.

UPDATE: Most of the text of this posting has been reported on the Bill Richardson for President blog roundup for August 21.