Richardson Leaves Presidential Race

In New Mexico yesterday, the most qualified candidate to be the next President of the United States withdrew from the race. New Mexico’s Governor Bill Richardson hung it up as his campaign’s internal polls showed him headed to another fourth place showing in near-by Nevada. One adviser said, “It wouldn’t do us any good to get our ass kicked in Nevada.” No, it wouldn’t, but America and this election cycle are worse off for his withdrawal.

Senator Hillary Clinton has made a big deal of her Washington experience as a US Senator and as First Lady, a total of about 14 years. Bill Richardson spent almost as much time just being a congressman. After that, he was Secretary of Energy and UN ambassador and now is governor of a state. He’s been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize four times. He has forgotten more about how politics works that the other Democratic candidates know.

In a race where America could be picking its first woman president or its first black president, Mr. Richardson would have been the first Hispanic POTUS. Three of his four grandparents were Mexican, and his father sent his mother to the US to give birth to Governor Richardson because, the man says, “My father had a complex about not having been born in the United States.”

It’s a rough world for America, made even rougher by the bungling yahoos from Crawford, Texas, who currently are screwing up America’s place in the world. In order to recover from the current presidency, America will need someone who knows the world beyond America’s borders, who knows that there will be problems if the troops leave Iraq-Nam but will be more manageable than if they stay, who knows that allies are to be consulted rather than bossed around, and who knows that rivals aren’t the same thing as enemies.

In pulling out, Mr. Richardson said he was returning to a state he loved with a woman he loves to do a job he loves. New Mexico is a lucky place. America will still need Bill Richardson, and one is certain he will answer the call. He just won’t live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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