Bush Backs Richardson Trip to North Korea

New Mexico Governor, former Energy Secretary, former UN Ambassador, former Congressman, and Democratic Presidential candidate Bill Richardson will head a bi-partisan delegation to North Korea to retrieve the remains of U.S. troops lost during the Korean War. Unlike the whimpering and moaning coming from the Rose Garden over Speaker Pelosi's trip to Syria, the private foray put Richardson organized is endorsed by the Bush regime.

Talk about burying the lead, from the very last gaf of today's Washington Post:

Richardson's office quoted the governor as saying that he hopes the trip "will advance the progress made by the Bush administration during the six-party talks to dismantle nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula."

One would hope.

Two years ago, the Bush administration discontinued cooperative field trips to Korea which had, at that point, identified over 200 remains of American soldiers. Estimates are that several thousand (over 8,000 are still listed as MIA) are still to be located. Unable, or unwilling, to put together its own team, the Bush administration seemed to eagerly embrace Richardson's initiative. Causing wingnut toadies like Ed Rogers to wet their pants:

"Talk about retreating to a Clinton policy," said Republican political consultant Ed Rogers. "Next they will want Hillary to sponsor heath-care legislation," he said . . . .

Nice, Ed. Bush can create tons of dead American bodies in Iraq and you applaud him, but his incompetent diplomacy is unable to bring back 50-year old remains from a country willing to give them up, and you want to make a political attack out of it.

If Bill Richardson isn't on the Democratic ticket in '08, the Democrats will have missed the boat.

In the media:

US State Department: Private U.S. Delegation Traveling to North Korea
Press TV (Iran): U.S. delegation to visit N. Korea
Guardian (UK): U.S. to Recover GI Remains in N. Korea
USA Today: Gov. Richardson will go on mission to N. Korea
CCTV (China): U.S. delegation to visit DPRK next week
Seattle Times: White House backs mission to North Korea
Korea Times: Gov. Richardson to Visit NK for Recovery of MIA Remains
Military.com: U.S. to Recover GI Remains in N. Korea
Santa Fe New Mexican: With Bush's blessing, Richardson heads to North Korea
Reuters(NY Times): Gov. Richardson to visit North Korea in April
Yonhap (S.Korea): Gov. Richardson to go to N.K. for recovery of MIA remains from Korean War


(Photo Credit: US Department of State)

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Edwards Beneficiary of Hillary NH Slide

Hillary's double-digit lead in New Hampshire has eroded substantially since February, while John Edwards has moved closer, according to the CNN/WMUR poll released tonight.

Hillary's 35% support in February fell to 27% in the most recent survey, while Edwards moved up 5 points, to 21% support, from his 16-point showing a couple of months ago. Obama remained relatively immobile -- picking up 20% support in tonight's results, compare to 21% from February. The only other Demo in double digits was Al Gore, who polled at 11%, up from 8 in February. Gore trailed "Don't Know" by a point. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson moved from one point to 4%.

The poll of 339 likely Democratic primary voters, conducted by the University of New Hampshire between March 27 and April 2, asked voters to also name the Democratic candidate that they liked the least -- at 17%, Hillary placed second (well behind Al Sharpton at 32%). Edwards was at the bottom of that list, at 2%, with Obama at 4%.

The poll shows that Edwards' work in the state is paying dividends -- in addition to his rise in the poll, his favorables are up over the February poll. Hillary is the victim of her own strength -- with nearly universal name recognition, she had little room to move up and little opportunity to have that "conversation" she used to talk about. If people believe that they know all they need to know about you, it gets harder to get them to listen to you. Her waffling and vaguesness on Iraq didn't help her there either. Nearly 4 in 10 respondents said that the war was the number one issue on their minds this primary season. Her favorables in the state declined 10-points from February (74% to 64%) and her unfavorables rose from 15% to 24%.

Earlier today, Edwards learned that his Iowa organization is also apparently doing its job. A statewide poll conducted by the University of Iowa put Edwards up 34% to Hillary's 28% among among Iowa's likely Democratic caucus goers. Yet, among registered Dems as a whole, Hillary had a slight led 29 to 26%. Of course, the support is not worth much if they don't get out to the caucusses and Edwards' crew has apparently better targeted teh likely voters.

In the media:

WMUR: Poll Shows Democratic Race Tightening Up
Boston Globe: Edwards surging as race among Democrats tightens in NH
NY Sun: Edwards in (Kind of) Second Place in New Hampshire
CNN: Clinton slips, Edwards climbs in New Hampshire poll
NewsMax: Hillary Leads in New Hampshire: Poll
Iowa City Press-Citizen: Poll shows Edwards, Clinton, Giuliani, McCain leading in Iowa
AHN: Edwards Leads In Iowa Caucus Poll; Democrats Win Overall
RCP: New CA, IA and NH 2008 Polls
Des Moines Register: Edwards crowd zeroes in on issues
NY Post: Hill's Slide is Edwards' Gain in Critical NH
Union Leader: Clinton slips, still leads in latest poll

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Hillary's Problem and the Problem with Hillary

Some thoughts which have been rattling around in my aged head for several weeks and probably not ready for prime time . . . .

If History is any indication, 2008 should be a banner year for the Democrats on the National level. Granting that History may be as irrelevant to the outcome of Presidential elections as to Baseball's All-Star game, the same History which bodes well for the Democrats might have an asterisk named Hillary.

When public opinion of a sitting President falls to the miserable failure level, one often sees a switch of the political Party in residence at 1600 Pennsylvania. Some examples include when FDR (D) wasted Hoover (R), in the early 30s; twenty years later when Ike (R) spanked Stevenson following Truman's second term (when, as the Dubya gang likes to point out, Truman's job-approval were Bushian low-20s); in the 70s it happened twice, first when Carter (D) took over from Ford/Nixon and then four years later, when Reagan sent Carter to early retirement.

But, looking at the men who occupied the White House on Election Day and the men who replaced them on Inauguration Day suggests that the electorate might have been looking for more than a change of Party.

By '32, Hoover was seen as weak-minded and incompetent, FDR as strong, capable, dependable. Truman was perceived as stubborn and irascible, hard to get along with -- taking over the steel mills, recalling MacArthur. Ike, well, EVERYone Liked Ike. Carter was the nuclear-engineer-smart, calm, trustworthy gentleman from the South, taking over from the decidedly untrustworthy, ungentlemently, Nixon regime, with his unelected Veep, Ford, viewed as less than smart and perhaps a little untrustworthy himself. And, finally, the in-control, clear-eyed Reagan taking over for a Carter Administration adept at fumbling domestic policy and international relations.

These caricatures of the day suggest that, in response to what is largely perceived as a "failure presidency", the voters may have been looking as much for someone perceived as offering an opposite set of characteristics, as for an opposite party.

There need be little breath spent on arguing that the Bush Administration is widely-perceived as a decidedly failed Presidency. While the ultimate historical judgment might, as it did with Truman, change given time and distance (yeah, right), today Bush struggles to avoid setting new lows in approval and performance.

So, looking to 2008, what are the popular-perceptions about why Bush is such a miserable failure?

Seems too easy, but a list of some of the problems that most would probably say contribute to the failure of this Administration would have to include the Iraq Invasion, Bush's seemingly endless ability to create divisions and generate impassioned detractors, and his, if not dishonesty, then at least the lack of candor, or political posturing, informing all he does or says.

Recognizing that the deck becomes stacked by which elements one lists, but the Hillary Problem, and the problem WITH Hillary, is that she might not be stacking up very well on the electorate's unconscious lists of the "problems with George" -- she might not offer the great unwashed enough of a change in character to lead to a change in Party in the White House. She was a supporter of the war then, and is insufficiently repentant. Is she divisive? If you have to ask, you haven't been paying attention. Is she perceived to lack candor, as being political and calculating? Did you see her in Selma? Does she root for the Mets or the Yankees?

Just looking at it this way, if it is even close to something real, doesn't it help explain Obama's popularity? Hillary may not be enough the un-Bush to give the Democrats what History suggests may be theirs in 2008 as long as they don't screw it up.

Obama's big negative in all of this -- experience. Another biggie on the unconscious list of Bush problems is the lack of relevant experience the guy had coming into the job. (And, that is Hillary's big, very big, plus.) But, and this is at a just wondering stage right now, but what would a Democratic ticket with Obama and Bill Richarson be able to do?




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DNC Winter Meeting Series: Bill Richardson

A candidate with legitimate, actual foreign policy experience, with roots in California, Mexico City, and New England, with service in the cabinet and Congress, whose popularity as a two-term Governor of a Western border state crosses the political divide, Bill Richardson spoke to the DNC Winter confab and fairly brought down the house (oh, and if you hadn't heard, he is also Hispanic). You can watch it on his website, and read his speech here:

When we were first invited to speak here today, we were all told that each of us would have only seven minutes …

Seven minutes … to tell you how we’d create better jobs, expand health care, save the environment, improve our schools, balance the budget, fight terrorism, get out of Iraq, and bring peace to the Middle East.

I don’t need seven minutes. I can do that in four words: “Elect a Democratic president.”

You’re on your second day of hearing political speeches. And you’ve heard from some of our best. Our country would be a lot better off with any one of them serving in the White House- as my Vice-President!

But the truth is, we will only win the White House if we, as fellow Democrats who share core fundamental beliefs, don’t tear each other down.

We are a party built on a platform of ideas and ideals. We share a fundamental belief in the notion that equality is not achieved by knocking someone else out of the way and kicking them when they’re down. Instead, we believe in offering them a hand and lifting them up.

It’s why today I’m calling on all the other Democratic candidates to agree to run only positive campaigns in this Democratic nominating process. And further, I call on the Democratic National Committee to pass a resolution demanding that all the candidates run clean campaigns and not attack each other.

I don’t buy this nonsense that negative campaigns toughen up a nominee.

Save it for the Republicans.

Now, I could tell you, in a positive way, that we need a Democratic nominee who’s brokered international agreements, understands the Middle East, and fought global warming. A nominee who’s served as a Governor, balanced budgets, created jobs, covered people with health care, and turned an economy around.

In fact, I think that sounds pretty good.

But the truth is, most of America doesn’t want to hear another political speech right now. And honestly … I don’t blame them. They see enough politics in their nightly news … in the grim statistics of a war gone horribly wrong. A war that’s mostly about politics and posturing and saving face. And that’s the worst sort of politics imaginable.

Our challenge as Democrats is to not just break through the voters’ cynicism … but also to convince them that we’re up to the job they’ve entrusted us with.

We’ve won the Congress, but we still have a lot to prove. We need a Democratic nominee who’s able to stand up for our principles, make the case to the American people, show them we can get things done, and create a lasting Democratic majority.

Because I’m tired of hearing that Democrats don’t stand for anything. We do. The American people need to know that we’re standing up for them. And they need to know that we can get the job done.

I’m proud to be a Democrat. And I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished in my home state of New Mexico.

How many of you have visited New Mexico? Well, it’s time the rest of you paid us a visit.

We have over 80,000 new jobs, many of them in high tech industries. We have the lowest unemployment rate since 1978 … up to sixth in the nation for job growth … seventh in the nation for personal income growth.

And we didn’t abandon union families along the way. One of the first things I did as Governor was reinstate collective bargaining for public employees. We secured the first public works labor agreement in New Mexico history. And we made our prevailing wage a union wage.

When it came to standing up for the rights of working people, we didn’t compromise our ideals. We acted on them.

To create all those jobs, we first passed a specific tax credit for creating good paying jobs. We made the rural jobs tax credit permanent, enacted a three-year tax holiday for high-tech startups, and invested state money in local companies that showed great promise for success and job creation.

Rather than use tax cuts to reward the wealthy … I use them to reward putting people to work.

We balanced the budget. But we also increased school funding by $600 million
dollars … and we made sure it all went into the classroom and not the bureaucracy.

In fact, the first thing we did was give teachers a raise … and we’ve given them a raise every year since.

When I came into office, we were 48th in teacher pay … with this year’s raise we’ll be 27th … and we’re aiming even higher.

Our teachers deserve it, our children are better off, our schools are improving, and our parents believe in us again. If we can do that in New Mexico, we can do that across this country.

We expanded state health insurance to cover every child, lowered the cost of health care for working families, and we’re helping small businesses create purchasing pools so they can get the same low insurance rates as large employers.

Two of the bedrock principles of the Democratic Party are equal access to an excellent education and equal access to health care. For too long in this country, we’ve had neither.

But we’re making great strides in New Mexico and we can do that across this country if we have a Democratic Congress, a Democratic president, Democratic Governors in a majority of the states, and a Democratic mandate to finally lift this country up.

In New Mexico, our fight for equality extends to sexual orientation. For the first time in state history we have a hate crimes law. We’ve extended civil rights protections to include sexual orientation. And we’re providing state health insurance for domestic partnerships.

Some call New Mexico the land of enchantment. I now like to think that we live in a state of enlightenment.

Finally, Mark Twain said “Everybody complains about the weather but nobody ever does anything about it.” Well, when it comes to global warming and climate change, we’re doing something about it in New Mexico.

I set tough standards to reduce greenhouse emissions. We’ve invested directly in energy efficiency. And no other state has done as much to promote renewable energy – with tax credits for using wind, solar, and biofuels … we’ve eliminated taxes on hybrid cars … and we’re requiring utility companies to start producing energy from renewable sources.

New Mexico has become the clean energy state. There’s no reason we can’t become the clean energy nation.

Every one of these accomplishments can be done at the national level.

But it’s not enough to just win the Congress back. We need someone who can win the White House back.

And I know the usual rap on Governors – that we don’t know anything about foreign affairs. Well, maybe you can say that about Governors from Texas.

But not this Governor.

Last December, I was visited by a delegation of North Koreans seeking my advice before the disarmament talks. They wanted to know how in the world they’re supposed to work with an administration that thinks “axis of evil” is a bargaining position.

When I visited Darfur last month and negotiated a cease fire, I saw thousands of widows and fatherless children trying to escape the genocide … waiting in line in 100 degree heat for a month. They wanted to know why it was taking the United States so long to do something.

And the Middle East wants to know how we can expect to bring peace to the region while shutting Iran and Syria out of the process.

The War in Iraq is not the disease. Iraq is a symptom. The disease is arrogance.

The next President must be able to repair the damage that’s been done to our country’s reputation over the last six years. It’s why experience in foreign affairs has never been more important.

But whatever you may think of a pre-emptive war grounded in the clouded reasoning of a vengeful administration and a misled Congress … the reality is, we have done in Iraq what said we would do.

We have rid the world of a brutal dictator. We have brought about free and fair elections three times over. The Iraqis now have a constitution, over 200,000 armed soldiers, and they have oil revenue.

It’s time for our troops to leave with honor.

When it comes to this president, I don’t know how someone can be so blind to the hurt and anguish in this country … and so deaf to the will of the people.

This is not presidential greatness. This is a great tragedy.

America is better than this.

A struggle for human rights is worthy of military intervention. A true threat to our country’s security is worthy of war.

But a struggle between a country’s warring factions, where both sides hate the United States, is not worthy of one more lost American life.

As someone who served in Congress for 14 years, I know the power they hold should they choose to wield it. The Congress passed a resolution authorizing war. They need to pass another that overturns that authorization … and brings our troops home by the end of this year.

You would think that when the Congress realized they were lied to, they would have done something about it. Well, they still can.

Once our troops are gone, we still have a role to play. We have a moral responsibility to bring the Sunni and Shia together in a national reconciliation conference. And we have a strategic interest in organizing a regional conference with all of Iraq’s neighbors, including Syria and Iran, to help stabilize Iraq.

But more than anything else, we have a moral obligation to those Americans who have laid down their lives.

Some say we cannot let their sacrifice be in vain. But you will never convince me that those slain patriots would have wanted a single additional life to be lost just to validate their own sacrifice.

Instead, the moral obligation is to honor their service by bringing their mission to a close. By ending the bloodshed … and finally letting the Iraqi people set their own course.

Those would be the principles of my presidency. And those would be the ideals I would seek.

Thank you, God bless you, God bless the Democratic Party, and God bless the United States.

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Bill Richardson on SOTU

Before the Democratic Response was over, a press release from Bill Richardson's campaign arrived:

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson
Calls the State of the Union
"More Promises, When America Needs Action"

For Immediate Release Contact: Pahl Shipley
January 23, 2007 Santa Fe (505) 982-2291

SANTA FE, NM- Governor Bill Richardson tonight called on President Bush to take meaningful action to help middle-class Americans and attack the serious problems facing the country. Governor Richardson, who on Monday filed the paperwork creating a Presidential campaign exploratory committee, was responding to the President's State of the Union Address and specifically pointed to three critical areas of concern mentioned in the speech- energy efficiency and independence, healthcare, and climate change.

"Welcome to the party, Mr. President, the rest of the country and the world have been talking and doing something about these issues for years," said Governor Richardson. "In addition to being years behind, what the President is proposing doesn't go far enough and isn't realistic."

On energy, Governor Richardson pointed out that the President's proposal on renewable fuels is not broad enough. "Ethanol is a critical part of the solution, but not the only part. Our approach must be comprehensive, exploring all opportunities with renewables, including solar, wind, biomass, fuel cells, and distributive generation, to name a few," said the Governor. "In New Mexico we're requiring 10% of all energy produced must come from renewable sources, and we're moving toward 20%. We're providing tax credits for companies developing renewable energy and we've taken action to reduce and limit carbon dioxide emissions. It's time for serious action, not lip service."

Governor Richardson agreed that the nation must dramatically improve vehicle fuel efficiency but noted the President's plan does not provide enough specifics. It also leaves too many loopholes to achieve the kind of improvements necessary to wean the country off foreign oil and reduce vehicle emissions.

"Ultimately we need a 'man-on-the moon' effort focused on energy independence," added the Governor. "Anything less will not create the change necessary to make a lasting difference."

Governor Richardson applauded the President for addressing the healthcare crisis facing the country but believes the proposals don't go far enough to help the tens of millions of Americans without health insurance.

"The burden of having so many patients unable to pay is crushing the healthcare system, and all of us are paying the price," said the Governor. "In New Mexico and in other states we are finding ways to provide our citizens access to affordable healthcare. We need leadership and funding from the federal government to make sure our working families, and especially our children get the care they deserve."

Another urgent area of concern where states are taking action in the absence of federal leadership or support is climate change.

"It is the gravest environmental threat the world faces. The administration has done little to reverse the effects or causes of global warming and time is running out. We must engage with the rest of the world in this effort, and we must implement a meaningful strategy that will make a difference. States like New Mexico and California, not the federal government, are leading the way in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but the innovation in the states must take place on a national scale."

And finally, Governor Richardson reiterated his opposition to the President's Iraq strategy and believes the United States can and must get our troops out of Iraq by the end of 2007.

"Our presence in Iraq is not helping anymore and we must begin to turn the security of the country over to the Iraqi forces and get our forces out," said Governor Richardson. "Our preoccupation with Iraq has caused a resurgence of terrorism in Afghanistan and more violence throughout the region. We must redeploy our troops into areas that will do the most good, and make a real impact in the war on terror."

"Americans expect the President and the government to get things done, to solve the problems that create positive change and improve their quality of life, but that hasn't happened with this administration" said Governor Richardson. "The President has lost his credibility. People here and across the world are looking to the United States for leadership and action, not more promises."

Bill Richardson is someone worth keeping an eye on in the run-up to 2008.

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