NM Gov. Bill Richardson's recent trip

[tony hipchest]

he just returned from N. korea, to deliver 6 bodies to hawaii of americans who were killed in the korean war. in the meantime he helped broker a deal for n. korea to cease its nuclear weapons program.

now im sure the extreme right will attempt to bash his efforts to foster peace by de-militarizing the north koreans but the point is, hillary has raised over $35 mil in campaign funds. richardson has raised $6 mil.

what has hillary done? what has G dub done?

[stlrtruck]

Not that I don't believe you but is there a link where I can read a story about his trip?

[tony hipchest]

from the bill richardson blog:

This is still super-breaking news, but it’s amazing and I want to get it out quickly: while in North Korea, again, Gov. Richardson has negotiated a major breakthrough on the North Korean nuclear program.

1. North Korea will dismantle its nuclear reactors.
2. North Korea will allow UN inspectors. (!)
3. All of this will happen within 30 days!

MSNBC is the only one reporting it yet, but expect to see it everywhere soon.

heres the msnbc clip:

http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?...&f=00&fg=copy&

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070408/...rea_richardson

ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson left Saturday with a delegation of past and present U.S. officials for North Korea, where he hopes to reclaim the remains of American soldiers killed in the Korean War.


The four-day trip also is meant to draw attention to the Democrat's underdog bid for the presidency and to highlight his foreign policy experience, which includes negotiating trips to hot spots around the world and serving as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during President Bill Clinton's administration.

As with many of Richardson's freelance diplomatic missions, this one benefits from fortunate timing. Endorsed by President George W. Bush's Republican administration, it comes days before a crucial deadline in a landmark nuclear accord the North agreed to in February, four months after testing a nuclear weapon.

Many will be watching to see whether Richardson brings back any new details on potential progress on a North Korean pledge to close down and seal its main nuclear plant and allow in U.N. nuclear inspectors by April 14.

The delegation flew to Pyongyang on a U.S. government aircraft and was scheduled to arrive Sunday. It briefly stopped in Alaska, where Richardson met with military personnel from New Mexico.

Accompanying Richardson are Bush's top adviser on North Korea, Victor Cha; Anthony Principi, the former veteran affairs secretary for Bush; and James McDougal, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense.

The Bush administration has made clear that the focus of the trip is on the expected transfer of U.S. remains, and Richardson says he is not planning to negotiate nuclear matters.

But analysts say Richardson's visit might still help ease tensions between the North and the United States.

"Richardson is someone who the North Koreans actually seem to listen to and have confidence in," said Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank. "It's probably a useful gesture, a way to deliver a message that here's bipartisan support for moving forward."

Since the breakthrough Feb. 13 nuclear agreement, there has been little progress. The North is angry about a delayed transfer of $25 million in North Korean money frozen by Macau authorities after the U.S. blacklisted a bank in that Chinese administrative region in 2005 for allegedly helping Pyongyang launder money.

Some worry the concerns could delay implementation of the disarmament agreement.

The State Department said Friday that a hitch stalling the release of the funds had been resolved, potentially clearing the way for the disbursement of the money. No details were released on when or how the money would be transferred.

Richardson has regularly made diplomatic trips, often on his own initiative, to a number of countries at odds with the United States. He has built a special rapport with North Korean officials — this will be his sixth visit there.

[tony hipchest]

http://billrichardsonblog.com/ has alot of good links and info.

From the mouth of Markos himself:

Richardson, in just the last couple of months, has brokered landmark deals in Darfur and North Korea — efforts that had stymied the Bush Administration through two terms. There is no one in American politics today more respected and accomplished on foreign policy than Bill Richardson.

Compare this to Hillary Clinton, who talks about “ending the war”, yet the fine print of her plan shows she’d keep up to 75,000 American troops in Iraq.

More on North Korea Posted on Wednesday 11 April 2007
A follow-up AP story is here.

The movement on the nuclear shutdowns is amazing. What we shouldn’t forget is that on top of it Gov. Richardson did what he went to do, which is to bring home the remains of American servicemen killed in the Korean War. Click here for details from the Korea Times.

The Richardson for President blog also has the Gov’s full remarks on both successes of this trip.

Bravo to the master diplomat. This is a guy who isn’t just ready to lead, he IS leading, right now.

[fansince'76]

Originally Posted by tony hipchest

http://billrichardsonblog.com/ has alot of good links and info.

Richardson, in just the last couple of months, has brokered landmark deals in Darfur and North Korea — efforts that had stymied the Bush Administration through two terms. There is no one in American politics today more respected and accomplished on foreign policy than Bill Richardson.

This statement is a pretty sad commentary on not just the current administration, but also Congress as a whole. Maybe Richardson should consider throwing his hat into the ring for '08. Been a while since this country has had a Commander-in-Chief that knew shit from shinola about foreign affairs and could put together a foreign policy that makes sense.

[tony hipchest]

Originally Posted by fansince'76

This statement is a pretty sad commentary on not just the current administration, but also Congress as a whole. Maybe Richardson should consider throwing his hat into the ring for '08. Been a while since this country has had a Commander-in-Chief that knew shit from shinola about foreign affairs and could put together a foreign policy that makes sense.

thats the problem. he has thrown his hat in the ring, just no one knows it. while hilary has raised over 35 mil for her campaign, bill has raised 6 or 7. she is definitely much more high profile but he is by far the better qualified candidate. she is just a lawyer! he is a career politician who has held many upper level appointments.

his problem is being a governor of a state with a tiny population. (i dont know if being half hispanic will help or hurt him) but he has done some high profile things that can translate to a much larger scale:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Ri...on_(politician)

-In early 2005, Richardson made New Mexico the first state in the nation to provide $400,000 in life insurance coverage for New Mexico National Guardsmen who serve on active duty. Thirty-five states have since followed suit.

-Richardson has been lauded by traditionally right or libertarian-leaning publications and organizations such as Forbes Magazine and the Cato Institute for reforming New Mexico's economy. In 2006, Forbes credited Richardson's reforms in naming Albuquerque, New Mexico the best city in the U.S. for business and careers. Cato has consistently rated Richardson as one of the most fiscally responsible Democratic governors in the nation.

-In December 2005, Richardson announced the intention of the State of New Mexico to partner with billionaire Richard Branson to bring the promising business of space tourism to the proposed Southwest Regional Space Port located near Las Cruces, New Mexico.

-On September 7, 2006 Richardson flew to Sudan to meet Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir and successfully negotiated the release of imprisoned journalist Paul Salopek. Salopek had been charged by the Sudanese with espionage on August 26th, 2006 while on a National Geographic assignment.

-In March 2007, Richardson announced that he would sign a bill making it mandatory for all sixth-grade girls in New Mexico to be vaccinated against HPV, which would make New Mexico the second state to require it, after Texas. [16] Richardson also announced he would sign a bill that would make New Mexico the 12th state to legalize marijuana for medical reasons. When asked if this would hurt him in a Presidential election he stated that it did not matter as it was "the right thing to do."[17]

hillary is a polarizing lightning rod, and no matter what i think the majority of republicans will always be vehemently opposed to her. richardson is the exact opposite. not only does he out qualify her, he has much respect in both parties and coud actually work on bringing sides together, rather than increasing the divide. i think that is something our country desperately needs right now.

[Jeremy]

Hillary Clinton is an embrassment to the Democratic Party. She, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid are just a few of the reasons average Americans are running away from not only the Dems, but from politics as a whole.

[stlrtruck]

I must say I'm impressed with his workings. Not much of a Democrat myself but I've never been one to vote just for a specific party. I am interested to hear more about him and will definitely be doing some research on him and his other views.

[tony hipchest]

heres a post i made a while back covering some of his issues:

http://forums.steelersfever.com/show...ill+richardson

of course im a homer but i think richardson will be one of the best candidates. unfortunately he is hispanic and speaks spanish so the extreme right will probably spend millions to smear him and put the fear of us becoming a spanish speaking nation with open boarders if he does get on the ticket. he did a fine job as energy secretary under clinton. he is very respected in washington and the national media. has appeared on countless national media panels (including FOX) for his insight and expertise. although democratic, he appeals to many republicans (tax cuts, supports death penalty, crackdown on drugs, on the flipside our last governor rep. gary johnson was for legalization). around here he has been called a rep in dems clothing.

http://www.issues2000.org/Bill_Richardson.htm this site will tell you all you want to know about his stances on various topics:

Bill Richardson on Abortion
Resist any effort to weaken a woman's right to choose. (Oct 2002)

Bill Richardson on Budget & Economy
Grow the trade link to Mexico and attract Hollywood business. (Jan 2004)

Bill Richardson on Civil Rights .
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Bill Richardson on Crime .
Toughened DWI and sex offender laws. (Jan 2004)
Domestic violence incidents start with drinking. (Jan 2004)
Mandatory jail time, especially for repeat offenders. (Oct 2002)
Supports death penalty: zero tolerance for heinous crimes. (Oct 2002)
Voted NO on maintaining right of habeus corpus in Death Penalty Appeals. (Mar 1996)
Voted YES on making federal death penalty appeals harder. (Feb 1995)
Voted NO on replacing death penalty with life imprisonment. (Apr 1994)

Bill Richardson on Drugs
Crack down on illegal drug labs. (Jan 2004)
No legalization: drugs play an insidious role in crime. (Oct 2002)
Drug Courts and treatment instead of incarceration. (Oct 2002)

Bill Richardson on Education
Equip every 7th grader with a laptop computer. (Jan 2004)
Increase the salary of school teachers. (Jan 2004)
A plan that can reach straightforward education goals. (Jan 2004)
Charter schools show tremendous promise. (Jan 2004)
Expand the lottery scholarship program for college students. (Jan 2004)
No vouchers: they abandon public schools. (Oct 2002)
Voted NO on giving federal aid only to schools allowing voluntary prayer. (Mar 1994)

Bill Richardson on Energy & Oil
$6M for energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. (Jan 2004)
Develop alternative energy, including wind & solar. (Oct 2002)

Bill Richardson on Environment
Expand and create new state parks. (Jan 2004)
Develop a comprehensive water management plan. (Jan 2004)

Bill Richardson on Free Trade
Expand regional trade with Chihuahua. (Oct 2002)

Bill Richardson on Government Reform
Focus on eliminating waste and fraud from public spending. (Jan 2004)

Bill Richardson on Health Care
Secure lower prescription drug costs for seniors. (Jan 2004)
Focus on raising childhood immunization rates. (Jan 2004)
Increase access to affordable health care. (Jan 2004)
Consolidate mental health and substance abuse therapy needs. (Jan 2004)
Restrain Medicaid costs and maintain benefits. (Jan 2004)
Affordable access to healthcare for all New Mexicans. (Oct 2002)
New Mexico Cares: invest in our health. (Oct 2002)

Bill Richardson on Homeland Security
Spend $250K annually to fight base closures. (Oct 2002)

Bill Richardson on Jobs
Film industry initiatives create jobs. (Jan 2004)

Bill Richardson on Tax Reform
Continue to cut taxes and reform the tax code. (Jan 2004)
Reduce income tax; create Taxpayer Bill of Rights. (Oct 2002)

Bill Richardson on Technology
Allocate capital to education and water projects. (Jan 2004)


Bill Richardson on War & Peace
Click here for the full quote on War & Peace OR background on War & Peace.
Homeland Security Department at federal AND state level. (Oct 2002)

since i work on an air force base i am particularly fond of his efforts to prevent base closures here in new mexico. without the base my town would become a ghost town.

while i dont expect reps to go out and vote for him, i can almost guarantee if they had only 2 choices to be the next president 95% reps would vote for bill over hillary.

im sure he will be accused on flip flopping on his drug stance. he is for the decriminalization of medical marijuana which is a far cry from his predecessor rep. gov. gary johnson, who was a national advocate for the legalization of all drugs. also was the sandia labs security breach in los alamos where nuclear secrets were stolen which could be blamed on him.

[Stlrs4Life]

Originally Posted by Jeremy

Hillary Clinton is an embrassment to the Democratic Party. She, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid are just a few of the reasons average Americans are running away from not only the Dems, but from politics as a whole.

Works on both sides. Guliani isn't anything great. Half the Republicans want nothing to do with Dubya anymore. So the other side is no better.

Yeah, the Democrats caused the last 8 years? (Who has been in charge?)


I am starting to like this Richardson guy more I hear about him. Think Barack would be OK, but not enough experience yet.