Richardson Swings Through Texas
September 13th, 2007 at 5:34 am
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was in Austin last night at the new Mexican American Cultural Center, although the fundraiser was closed to the media.
Former Texas Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos (D-Austin) was on hand to greet Richardson and help him raise money. Richardson is currently in fifth place in Texas according to the Texas Democratic Party’s ePrimary — although everyone knows the poll is not scientific (North Carolina’s John Edwards won).
Richardson spoke to the press at Austin Bergstrom International Airport earlier in the day, where he burnished his credentials as the ‘all-troops-out-of-Iraq’ candidate for president with a jab at his opponents.
Richardson pointedly criticized Illinois Sen. Barack Obama’s plan for withdrawal because it leaves some U.S. forces in place. A spokesperson for the campaign said that Obama’s statement earlier in the day suggested he would bring all troops out, but pointed out that Obama was talking about combat troops — saying Obama’s plan would leave some non-combat troops in place.
“One of the clear distinctions (Richardson) has made is that the other candidates leave troops behind,” she said.
Obama has made a lot of hay out of the fact that he has opposed the war from the start — as opposed to frontrunner Hillary Clinton (D-New York).
In fairness, here’s what Obama said as he interviewed General David Petraeus this week:
…after devoting $1 trillion, which is what this thing optimistically will end up having cost, thousands of American lives, the creation of an environment in which Al Qaeda in Iraq could operate because it didn’t exist prior to our invasion, that we have increased terrorist recruitment around the world, that Iran has been strengthened, that bin Laden and Al Qaeda are stronger than at anytime since 2001, and that the process of Iraqi reconstruction and their standard of living would continue to be lower than it was preinvasion…
Clinton has been just as critical on Iraq, so Richardson may have a tough time breaking into the top three via his withdrawal stance, but it is certainly a distinction worth noting, especially when conservative pundits like Dick Morris are licking their chops at the prospect of Iraq becoming ‘Hillary’s war.’
September 13th, 2007 at 8:59 pm
Mr. Richardson I am from New Mexico born and reard in New mexico. I have followed your campange for a while
even when i was in california. But what i don’t understand is why is New Mexico still so poor, why don’t the people over 65-and above get the help that deserve’also there are alot of Veterans out there that are living in the what you would call the boondocks.
I personaly am 64 years young myself but I see all these, and nobody tryies to try to lend a hand from what i have seen. WHY NOT?