Pimp Slappin' with Slick Willie

Ya gotta love this bit of inside dirt reported by the AP's Ron Fournier. The context is the furious fight within Democratic ranks to round up enough of the so-called "superdelegates" to get the party nomination and why some are reluctant to back Hillary:

Some are folks who owe the Clintons a favor but still feel betrayed or taken for granted. Could that be why Bill Richardson, a former U.N. secretary and energy secretary in the Clinton administration, refused to endorse her even after an angry call from the former president? "What," Bill Clinton reportedly asked Richardson, "isn't two Cabinet posts enough?"

Translation: I made you, bitch. You're mine. Don't you even think of going to someone else.

Gee, any wonder why Hillary is struggling?

Someone Kill Rob

First John McCain, now Bill Richardson at a campaign stop in Iowa:

Sioux City, Ia. — God’s will is for Iowa to have the first-in-the-nation caucus, Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson told a crowd here today.

“Iowa, for good reason, for constitutional reasons, for reasons related to the Lord should be the first caucus and primary,” Richardson, New Mexico’s governor said at the Northwest Iowa Labor Council Picnic. “And I want you to know who was the first candidate to sign a pledge not to campaign anywhere if they got ahead of Iowa. It was Bill Richardson.”

Putting aside the whole comparing Iowa to a cornfield Israel; Rob does like that Bill is speaking of himself in the 3rd person. Rob can support any candidate who speaks in the 3rd person. Shows character to Rob.

Full article here.

Richardson for President

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson officially announced his candidacy for president today. He's the best the Democrats have to offer. And is better than 9 out of ten of the Republican candidates too. Pro-medical marijuana. Pro-gun. Pro-free trade. Pro-gay rights. Anti-War. And market friendly. Certainly not perfect, but then who is?

Governor Richardson: I Get My Policy Ideas from The Onion

Yet another Onion story has come true.

The Onion:

Citizens spoke before Congress Monday in support of Tony's Law, a Senate measure that would require all marijuana-law offenders to inform their neighbors
if they're holding.

"Right now, countless Americans are living on the very same blocks as convicted illegal-drug users," said Sharon Logan of the Weed For Tony Coalition. "Without a federal mandate requiring full disclosure, how are unsuspecting residents supposed to find any decent weed?"

Real life:

Gov. Bill Richardson said Monday, on the eve of the 2007 legislative session, that he would seek legislation creating a public registry for drug dealers similar to the one that now exists for sexual offenders... The proposed drug-dealer registry would be modeled after a national bill that has been introduced by U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce.

Wow. Talk about a public service. I can't wait to find out where the drug dealers are in my neighborhood.

Thanks to apple for the tip.

Dogged by Scandal, Dodged by Draft

When we hear of someone's draft record from the late 1960s being questioned, one word usually comes to mind: Vietnam. But for New Mexico governor (and likely presidential hopeful) Bill Richardson, the draft questions have to do with baseball.

Gov. Bill Richardson is coming clean on his draft record - the baseball draft, that is, admitting that his claim to have been a pick of the Kansas City A's in 1966 was untrue.

For nearly four decades, Richardson, often mentioned as a possible Democratic presidential candidate, has maintained he was drafted by the Kansas City Athletics. The claim was included in a brief biography released when Richardson successfully ran for Congress in 1982. A White House news release in 1997 mentioned it when he was about to be named U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. And several news organizations, including The Associated Press, have reported it as fact over the years.

But an investigation by the Albuquerque Journal found no record of Richardson being drafted by the A's, who have since moved to Oakland, or any other team.

Informed by the newspaper of its findings, the governor acknowledged the error in a story in Thursday's editions.

"After being notified of the situation and after researching the matter ... I came to the conclusion that I was not drafted by the A's," he said.

It's beyond belief that a ballplayer could be unclear about his draft status; being drafted undoubtedly would have been the high point of his career -- and probably his life -- to that point. Whole thing here. Backstory: As a former Clinton administration official Richardson is, of course, no stranger to scandal.