Much better candidate than Hillary. Shame he has no shot.
Richardson joins growing field of presidential hopefulsPOSTED: 11:45 a.m. EST, January 21, 2007
Story Highlights• Bill Richardson forms exploratory committee for likely White House run
• Richardson, a Democrat, is governor of New Mexico, former congressman
• He has also served as U.N. ambassador and Energy Department secretary
• If elected, Richardson would be first Hispanic president in U.S. history
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said Sunday he is taking the first step toward an expected White House run in 2008, offering extensive experience in Washington and the world stage as he seeks to become the first Hispanic president.
"I am taking this step because we have to repair the damage that's been done to our country over the last six years," said Richardson, a Democrat and former congressman, U.N. ambassador and Energy Department secretary.
"Our reputation in the world is diminished, our economy has languished, and civility and common decency in government has perished," he said in a statement. (Watch Richardson outline why he intends to run for president )
He said he had set up an exploratory committee that will allow him to begin raising money and assembling his campaign organization.
"The governor is in it to run for president," spokesman Pahl Shipley said. The formal announcement will come in March after the end of New Mexico's legislative session, he said.
Richardson joins a crowded, high-profile and historically diverse field of contenders in a fast-developing campaign. On Saturday, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said she wanted to be the first female president while Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, if elected president, would be the first African-American commander in chief.
In his statement, Richardson stressed his foreign affairs experience, said he wanted U.S. troops to return quickly from Iraq and urged a change of leadership in Washington that would work to bridge a wide partisan divide.
"The next president of the United States must get our troops out of Iraq without delay," Richardson said. "I know the Middle East well and it's clear that our presence in Iraq isn't helping any longer."
He added that the next president "must be able to bring a country together that is divided and partisan. It is clear that Washington is broken and it's going to take a return to bipartisanship and simple respect for each other's views to get it fixed."
Most policy innovations are coming these days from governors, Richardson said. "On issues like the environment, jobs, and health care, state governments are leading the way. And that's because we can't be partisan or we won't get our jobs done. That's a lesson I've learned as governor and that's what I'll do as president."
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/21/richardson.running.ap/index.html
