Bill Richardson's pitch: Regular guy with extraordinary résumé

[DeepModem Mom]

CNN: Richardson pitch: Regular guy with extraordinary résumé
March 14, 2007
By Candy Crowley
CNN Washington Bureau


New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a former energy secretary and U.N. ambassador, will emphasize foreign and energy policy during his campaign.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Bill Richardson is on a diet, and he hates it.

He's lost about 30 pounds so far, but laments, "I am kind of miserable succeeding." It is classic Richardson, disarming and oh-so-very-normal, a confession delivered from the grandeur of the New Mexico Governor's Mansion overlooking Santa Fe.

The Democrat is widely expected to announce his full-fledged candidacy for president by the end of the month. A sit-down chat with him opens a window on his campaign strategy: He will run as an ordinary guy with an extraordinary résumé.

The son of a Mexican mother and an American businessman, the bilingual Richardson grew up in Mexico City but was educated in the Boston, Massachusetts, area. If successful, he would be this country's first Hispanic president.

He believes his résumé is a good fit for the times: former energy secretary when the country is looking for a way out of dependence on Middle East oil; former ambassador to the United Nations at a time when the country's international diplomacy is under fire; a governor in a party that has its most presidential success with governors (Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton); a westerner as his party looks to the usually Republican region as fertile territory.

Richardson has also been a congressman and a diplomatic troubleshooter.

"I am not just somebody who looks pretty and votes ... and gives a speech", says Richardson. "I have actually done it."...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/13/crowley.richardson/index.html

[MaineDem]

1. I tend to agree

I like this guy's resume a lot.

[bklyncowgirl]

2. There's a lot to like about Richardson

While I disagree with him on some issues, I've been liking much of what I hear. I think his temperment could suit the times. Kerry came off as too much of an elitist as opposed to the (fake) man of the people, George Bush.

A western governor with an ongoing weight problem could bridge the "I'd like to have a beer with this guy" gap.

It will be interesting to see how his campaign develops.