{"id":4474,"date":"2009-04-17T14:55:00","date_gmt":"2009-04-17T20:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2009\/04\/been-there-done-that-guv-says-he-doesnt-miss-dc\/"},"modified":"2009-04-17T14:55:00","modified_gmt":"2009-04-17T20:55:00","slug":"been-there-done-that-guv-says-he-doesnt-miss-dc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2009\/04\/been-there-done-that-guv-says-he-doesnt-miss-dc\/","title":{"rendered":"Been there, done that: Guv says he doesn’t miss DC"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Reading the Washington Post<\/a> today, you\u2019d think Gov. Bill Richardson<\/a> was content just chillin\u2019 with his homies in New Mexico.<\/p>\n

Of course, those who have watched his career know that isn\u2019t really the case, even if Richardson wants people to believe it.<\/p>\n

The governor\u2019s most extensive interview since withdrawing his nomination to be commerce secretary resulted in today\u2019s Post article, which is headlined, \u201cBill Richardson, at Peace In the Political Desert<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The governor says he\u2019s had enough of Washington, at least for now.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe end-all, be-all for many in politics is Washington,\u201d the article quoted Richardson as saying. \u201cI\u2019ve been there, I\u2019ve done service in the Congress, Cabinet, the U.N. I don\u2019t miss it one bit. I really don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richardson was quoted in the article as saying he wishes those who work in Washington well and is \u201csatisfied with what they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have to be part of it to feel satisfied. I really don\u2019t,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is hard convincing people because they know me, but I\u2019ve found the ultimate job in being governor. I really have.\u201d<\/p>\n

My question: How many times can you say you have the best job in the world as governor of New Mexico — and then turn around and try to get another job — before people just roll their eyes every time you say it?<\/p>\n

\u2018No easy next step<\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyway, the article does a good job of laying out exactly where Richardson finds himself at 61 years of age:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf all had gone according to plan, Bill Richardson would be at center stage in Washington, wheeling, dealing and glad-handing around the globe — as president, or at least as secretary of state,\u201d the article begins. \u201cBut Richardson remains the Democratic governor of New Mexico, barreling across the vast high desert here, the wind howling and the sand flying as he races to build a legacy and rebuild his career. The nation\u2019s most prominent Latino politician is stuck in virtual exile, term-limited from office in two years with no easy next step.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s, of course, because of the federal grand jury investigation of allegations of pay-to-play in the Richardson administration, which knocked the governor from his nomination as commerce secretary.<\/p>\n

The article is an interesting read. Richardson reiterates in it, as he\u2019s done in the past when speaking about the grand jury probe, that he is \u201cvery confident that we did nothing wrong.\u201d He also complained that the probe \u201cjust drags on.\u201d The article quotes \u201csources\u201d as saying the probe is \u201cmoving along aggressively.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ve got years ahead of me\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

There are some signs in the article published today that Richardson is still looking beyond the New Mexico horizon. The global troubleshooter told the newspaper he still talks regularly with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton<\/a> about foreign policy.<\/p>\n

He also said he has been in contact with North Korean leaders since they launched a missile in defiance of world powers earlier this month, and that he has negotiated with Iran\u2019s ambassador to the United Nations to try to secure the release of an American journalist being held in that country.<\/p>\n

Richardson, the article states, \u201chas been knocked down, but he knows it is possible to return to a blaze of glory.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, I\u2019ve got years ahead of me,\u201d the article quoted Richardson as saying. \u201cI\u2019m not a long-range planner.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reading the Washington Post today, you\u2019d think Gov. Bill Richardson was content just chillin\u2019 with his homies in New Mexico. Of course, those who have watched his career know that isn\u2019t really the case, even if Richardson wants people to believe it. The governor\u2019s most extensive interview since withdrawing his nomination to be commerce secretary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4474"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4474\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}