The two Democratic members of
“I’ve urged him to run,” U.S. Rep. Tom Udall said. “Gov. Richardson and I go way back and we’ve been good friends.”
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, who has several Democratic colleagues running for president, agreed.
“I’ve told Bill that I’d be glad to support him if he jumps into the race,” he said. “It’s an amazing undertaking and I compliment him for it.”
Their comments were part of wide-ranging interviews I had with both at their congressional offices during a visit I made to the nation’s capital on Thursday. In the interviews, both indicate that they expect
Udall said he believes
“I think he’s going to run for president with the idea that he wants to win, and this is something he’s been planning,” Udall said, adding that, at the same time, “You never know where you end up in politics.”
Both said they have pledged to help
Political ambitions
Udall, who said he is enjoying his first session in the majority in Congress, has been mentioned as a possible candidate for U.S. Senate in 2008, especially if Sen. Pete Domenici retires.
Domenici has said he will run again in 2008, but some suspect his health may prevent that.
“My sense is that he’s running, so I’m not planning on running against him,” Udall said. “I’d have to take a look at things if it opened up, but I don’t see that happening.”
Udall also noted that many Republican Senate seats are up for grabs in 2008, and there is going to be a lot of pressure on senators like Domenici to continue serving so the party doesn’t risk losing what are currently seen as safe seats.
Assuming he runs in 2008 and wins, Domenici would next be up for re-election in 2014, so I asked Udall if he might run for Senate that year. Udall responded by pointing out that the state’s other Senate seat could be open in 2012, the next time Bingaman is up for re-election.
“Sen. Bingaman may decide to retire, so you never know,” Udall said.
Udall speaks as one who has clearly analyzed the scenarios. It’s obvious he is considering running for Senate at some point. For now, however, Udall said he is enjoying being in the majority. He was recently appointed to the powerful House Appropriations Committee.
“I love what I’m doing now,” he said.
Since Udall brought it up, I asked Bingaman whether he might retire in 2012. He chuckled.
“I’m still trying to figure out 2007,” he said, adding that he doesn’t know when he will retire.
Getting out of
Both lawmakers support their party’s stance that sending more troops to
“Adding another 21,000
Neither, however, supports setting a firm withdrawal date. Udall said he wants American troops out of Iraq “as early as practical,” and said most tell him it will take 6-9 months to plan and implement an orderly withdrawal of troops that ensures their protection and time for the Iraqis to plan a transition.
Udall said it’s time for a political, not military, solution to the conflict, and time to end the Iraqis’ “false sense that we’ll always be there.”
He also expects the world to step in, once Americans step out, with a potential regional conference on stability in
Neither sees President Bush changing his mind about sending more troops to Iraq, but Udall noted that the Bush Administration has put the Iraqi government on “a very short leash” and said he believes that, coupled with pressure from Congress, could force Bush to change course later “if the Iraqis don’t step up to the plate.”
Climate change
Both also said they expect climate change and energy independence to be a major focus of Congress over the next two years. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday that she would create a special committee to draw attention to the topics. President Bush is expected to deal with global warming in his State of the Union address on Tuesday.
“Congress wants to act,” Bingaman said. “We hope the White House will act.”
Bingaman’s office is in the process of drafting legislation that would cap emissions and allow the trading of usage permits, which the senator called “the most significant action we could take to begin dealing with this issue.”
Udall praised Pelosi’s focus on the issue.
“It’s an area that the American people expect us to make some progress on,” Udall said.
Other issues
Bingaman is part of a bipartisan group proposing a federal program that would provide assistance to states that are working to expand health care. The group’s members doubt Congress will be able to reach consensus on health care any time soon, and have touted the program as an alternative way to improve the system.
“Frankly, we don’t have any interest from the current administration in doing anything,” Bingaman said.
The legislation would encourage states or regions to come up with their own programs – several have already done so – by creating a commission that would review their proposals and ask Congress to fund those that show promise.
Bingaman said he is also “somewhat optimistic” about reforming the immigration system, and noted that the No Child Left Behind Act will soon be up for renewal, and he will be proposing some changes dealing with high-school reform.
Udall the next several months will be spent in House subcommittees holding “aggressive hearings” on policies and expenditures of the Bush Administration. Udall said much of the executive branch’s activity has gone unchecked for years.
“We’re going to be very aggressively calling the administration to account on its policies,” Udall said.
Bingaman said he hopes the next two years will be a period of bipartisan cooperation. He said in the Senate, that is currently happening – Democrats have only a slight majority – but the question will be whether, as the 2008 election approaches, the bipartisanship can continue.
“I think the president has a lot of impact on that,” Bingaman said. “If he chooses to work with us, I think we can make good progress on that.”
Bingaman said much will be determined by Bush Administration staffers. He said a staffer who was committed to finding compromise on the No Child Left Behind Act was instrumental in that effort.
Congress is willing to work in a bipartisan nature, Bingaman said, and noted that Bush isn’t running for office, so he can do the same.
“He has the advantage of being a little bit above the fray, or at least he can choose to be,” Bingaman said.
Only time will tell whether Bush chooses bipartisanship, Bingaman said.