The St. Petersburg Times reports that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson believes he would be a better presidential candidate than Hillary.
Says Bill: "I believe that she's going to be a very strong candidate...but I believe a governor, and somebody who's had statewide CEO experience, would be a stronger candidate."
He also noted that voters have elected Democratic governors in eight red states and that state executives are better suited to solving issues than Washington insiders. Richardson did not say that he is actually a bit of a Washington insider himself, having served in the Clinton administration as Energy Secretary and U.N. Ambassador, in addition to having served 15 years in the U.S. House of Representatives - but that was a long time ago.
Richardson also did not state the obvious, that both Democratic presidents elected in the last 40 years were governors, and that only two sitting senators have ever made the successful jump to the White House.
Also left unsaid by the governor is the fact that Richardson is of Hispanic origin, while Hillary is just another WASP. He may indeed pose a threat against Sen. Clinton's White House aspirations, which is why he should be prepared for more unseemly tidbits leaked to the media, such as the December revelation that he padded his resume. It may also be remembered that Richardson tried to help squelch one of Bill Clinton's "bimbo eruptions," by offering Monica Lewinsky a U.N. job.
