In the event that Gore doesn't run, I think I'm supporting Bill Richardson.

[Guaranteed]

http://www.dfalink.com/richardson.php

I still think Gore will run when he thinks it's time to announce.

But, in the meantime, although I'm still not that familiar with him, I'm going to support Richardson. A solid, aggressive energy plan is my biggest priority in a candidate- yes, even more important than getting us out of Iraq. Richardson seems to be supplying that. With regard to Iraq, Richardson's diplomacy skills are superb, as well. If anyone could negotiate a plan that will get our troops out of Iraq, he could do it. Both my mother and step-dad are supporting Richardson over the top three, and, considering all of the candidates running, I think he is a great choice.

[zonkers]

1. I am with you. Kick. I just like Bill. He seems real comfortable in his own skin.

[trotsky]

2. I decided on Richardson a few weeks ago.

His proven diplomacy skills are going to be sorely needed to clean up after Chimpy. We are hated around the world like never before.

[napi21]

3. I was favoring Richardson until he appeared on MTP last Sunday!

He sounded like a LW version of Shrub! What a disappointment! Yes I realize Russert wasn't being easy on him, but if you want to be Prez you have to be able to deal with the tough questions!

[Guaranteed]

4. Can you give more details as to what happened?

I didn't see him. This was this past Sunday?

[NYCGirl]

6. Here's an article about it, BGL. I saw it — very very sad, and I like Richardson:

http://www.slate.com/id/2167195/

complete article at link

During the course of Bill Richardson's Meet the Press appearance Sunday, the New Mexico governor was on the defensive. Permanently. He tried to explain away his state's low rankings on high-school dropout rates, poverty, and crime during his tenure, his bold statements as energy secretary that turned out not to be true, his 72-hour change of mind on the immigration bill, his stance on guns, the stock he once owned in an oil company, his brief support of Alberto Gonzales, his résumé padding on his baseball career, and the story he tells on the stump about a dead soldier whose mother has asked him to stop telling it. Richardson is a world-famous hostage negotiator, so it was poignant to watch him fail to rescue himself from his own hostage crisis. By the end of the hour, he wasn't answering questions so much as swatting at them. "I'm not perfect," he said.

No one television interview should weigh too heavily on anyone's career. Talking-head TV is a highly formalized performance art in which you're doused in itchy makeup, forced to sit awkwardly under hot lights, and desperate to produce winning, accurate, concise answers without pausing to reflect. Anyone can slip up, invert words, or confuse facts. This is true of debates, too, where Richardson had a lackluster first performance.

Still, on Sunday, Richardson was bad.

Richardson's many parries and contradictions might have been the work of a candidate who recognizes the world's complexity, but they weren't. He seemed not too thoughtful, but too little prepared. When he tried to explain the contradictions, like his shift on the immigration bill from supporting it to opposing it, his responses were meandering. Sometimes, he contradicted himself within just a few breaths. After explaining why he changed positions on the assault-weapons ban, he broadly asserted, "I don't change my positions." And on one of his core pitch-points—his diplomatic sixth sense for the world and the Middle East in particular—he had to admit that on Iraq, the blockbuster of the day, his skill failed him. For a long-shot candidate with limited opportunities to break through as a fresh new face, he missed his chance wildly.

[napi21]

11. Yep, this past Sunday! Here's a link to the video.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18818527/

Some of what he said was good, but pay attention to the discourse at 12 minutes about the soldier's mom, and again at the 25 minute spot where Tim points out how bad the record of NM really is!

After watching it, you can decide for yourself.

[Comicstripper]

9. I tend to agree with this

Richardson was my number 1.5 pick- I like Obama, but think Richardson's probably the man, in terms of executive experiences (and experience in general; what a bio). But that interview went dismally.

[Czolgosz]

5. I'm hoping for a Bill Richardson/Abu Gonzalez ticket!

Let's not forget about Richardson's support for Attorney General Al Gonzalez:

Tavis: It occurs to me now, listening to you talk about your friend who you know, Mr. Gonzalez, it draws a stark contrast between—I haven't checked where all the other candidates are, but I know Obama is on record very clearly saying Gonzalez should step down. I suspect other Democrats running for president are maybe saying the same thing. That's a contrast between you and others on whether or not this guy should step down.

Richardson: That's right. I do believe that it's up to a president to make those decisions about Cabinet members. Obviously, Alberto's very damaged, and he's gotta be frank and testify and do what has to happen. But I think that's up to the president.

Tavis: So you would not call for his stepping down right now.

Richardson: No, no. And you know what? Part of it maybe is because he's the highest-ranking Hispanic ever.

Source: http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200703/20070321_richardson.html

Presidential candidate and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) said Monday the reason he has not called for the removal of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is that the two both have Hispanic backgrounds.

Richardson, in an interview with The Hill, said he is “pretty close” to making such a call, but added that he is reluctant to do so before Gonzales’s Senate testimony despite the high-profile involvement of New Mexico in the U.S. attorneys scandal.

“The only reason I’m not there is because he’s Hispanic, and I know him and like him,” Richardson said, adding, “It’s because he’s Hispanic. I’m honest."

Source: http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/gov.-richardson-pretty-close-to-calling-for-gonzales-to-resign-2007-04-17.html

To me, there are disqualifying statements even if you can get past his pro-NAFTA, pro-NRA, pro-death penalty views.

[politicasista]

7. LOL!

:rofl:

[StudentsMustUniteNow]

8. Do you like free trade, outsourcing and corporate rule?

If not, then there are better candidates out there.

[Clark2008]

10. Not many.

[StudentsMustUniteNow]

12. True

Must.Keep.My.Mouth.Shut.

[skipos]

13. He will never be a DU fave, but I like him.

I don't agree with him on all the issues, but I think he would be a great president.