This week’s non-scientific poll on this site asks whether President Barack Obama should call on Gov. Bill Richardson to help resolve the current situation with North Korea. The Albuquerque Journal’s Leslie Linthicum, who has traveled to the rogue nation with the governor, says that’s exactly what the Obama administration needs to do.
In a commentary published today in the newspaper, Linthicum notes that “where we are right now with North Korea is exactly where we’ve been… and been… and been before.” Except for one difference: “Our governor isn’t the face of the crisis. In fact, he’s been conspicuously absent…”
Richardson hasn’t been as visible on the national stage since the ongoing pay-to-play probe forced him to withdraw his nomination to be commerce secretary in January, but he has done at least one TV interview on the current situation with North Korea and has said he is in touch with the Obama administration about the situation.
It’s no secret that Richardson is an excellent negotiator. And he has the best relationship with the North Korean government of any American leader. Linthicum has seen that up close, having traveled with the governor to North Korea in 2005.
She writes that it’s “easy to dismiss Richardson’s work there because, applying accepted accounting measures, you could argue that it hasn’t worked. Richardson has been involved in this revolving door for 15 years now. It starts with a North Korean threat, which is met with a worldwide freakout and stern words from Washington, Seoul and Tokyo. Then Richardson slides in, gets them talking over a table of kimchi, asks them to play nice, and returns home with news that the future looks much better and brighter. We all feel better for a while, he gets his face on TV, and then the cycle starts again.”
“…but where might we be if no one with an American passport and a whiff of authority had been willing to nod respectfully through those farcical meetings and raise a glass with respect at the end of the day?” Linthicum asks. “Former President Bill Clinton tells the New York Times that he’s still mad at Richardson for being disloyal to his wife, Hillary, who is now the secretary of state. Hmm. Maybe it’s time to give up the grudges and invite Richardson back to the table before this movie ends with a real bang.”
This seems an opportune time to remind you to vote in this week’s non-scientific poll, if you haven’t already done it.
This article has been updated for clarity.