While out East, Richardson woos national press

Gov. Bill Richardson wooed the national press during a breakfast Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

The breakfast, sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, has already resulted in a couple of positive profiles of the potential 2008 presidential candidate.

“… he gave reporters a preview of the distinctive campaign he’d run – and how much he’d differ from likely rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York,” wrote Steven Thomma of McClatchy Newspapers. “He boasts a decidedly different résumé. He’s arguably more candidate. And he’s definitely funnier.”

The Monitor wrote a balanced article that included this statement: “Although he is running for reelection, Richardson felt confident enough to take time out for a swing through several Eastern states to campaign for Democratic gubernatorial candidates.”

Richardson told reporters at the breakfast he is confident Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives and a majority of governorships, in part because of frustration over the war in Iraq.

But he spoke more about his potential run for president, and offered up his plan for Iraq when asked what he would do if he were president.

“I would set a timetable for withdrawal. I would couple that with a political solution of the three ethic groups forcing them to have a political solution,” Richardson said, according to the Monitor. “There is no military solution. Specifically, I would divide up the oil revenue, the cabinet ministries and force them to come up with a new political framework. I would also study Senator Biden’s federation (proposal). I think that may be ultimately the right solution.”

“I would set up a Middle East peace conference that would deal with civil administration and reconstruction of Iraq,” he said. “Muslim and European nations would be part of that. I would then redeploy (U.S.) troops, leave a residual force in Iraq (and) put (troops) where we really need them, (in) Afghanistan. I would put others in Gulf states to deal with international terrorism threats. And I would also use a large part of those financial budgets and reserves that we use in Iraq on homeland security in this country. This country is not fully protected. I would emphasize port security. I would emphasize security of our subways (and) our aircraft. I would put money in detection of those liquids that became such a problem….”