Bill Richardson

This is an interesting week with several Democratic candidates coming to the area. Most are here for the Johnson County Barbecue but since I'm too cheap to spend $15 for a ticket I have been seeing them when they come to the nearby town of Washington.

Wednesday I took my Current Events class plus a few other students to see Barak Obama. Over 450 people checked in so I didn't get to ask any questions.

Today I drove to Washington to see Bill Richardson. I was running late and as I was coming in I saw Richardson introduce himself to three IMS girls who were at Washington high school for a volleyball tournament. In the auditorium Richards gave what I assume is his standard stump speech. He talked about education, health care, good jobs, and getting out of the war with Iraq all the while struggling with his microphone which kept cutting out on him. He finally gave up on the microphone and spoke loudly to the hundred or so people who were there. Through all of this he touted his experience as a governor and noted that seven of the last eight presidents were governors.

During the question time I said I had the opportunity to travel in the West Bank for two weeks in August and asked how he would work to resolve the conflict between Israel and Palestinians. This is what he had to say.

First he said he would appoint a Mid-East envoy. He noted that President Bush is the first President in many years who has not appointed an envoy to deal with this conflict He noted that he would "push both sides to work at arranging a peace."

Second, he "would talk to Syria, he would talk with Lebanon, he would talk with Israel." He noted he thinks it is important to talk with our friends, but "it is also important to talk to our enemies." I think it was here he mentioned negotiating with Saddam Hussein and having talked with Syria.

Third, "I am pro-Israel, I've always been a big supporter of Israel. I'm for a two State solution with a return to 1967 borders with some negotiations about East Jerusalem." "Look where their policies have gotten them (Israel). They have Hezbollah on one side, they have Hamas on the other, and then there is Iran which is pursuing nuclear weapons which is something I do not want to happen."

From there Richardson talked more about Iran . He said, we can't just threaten Iran, we need to talk with our enemies, we have to be firm but it is important to talk, not just to threaten to use our military.

He then moved on to other questions from the audience. It seemed to me that Richardson has a decent understanding of the Israeli/Palestinian question and the importance of the U.S taking leadership in helping to bring the two groups together. As he answered my question it seemed the question of the Palestinians got lost as he talked more about Iran and the middle east in general. It is probably something Palestinians are long accustomed to - being overlooked or ignored.

Overall I came away impressed with Richardson. He has experience as a governor, as a member of Clinton's cabinet, and as an ambassador. He handled questions well showing a broad range of knowledge and a good sense of humor. He was able to poke fun at himself and it looked like he was enjoying himself.

After the program was over I met a reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer and we talked for awhile. It was interesting to talk to some one from the city where we lived for ten years.
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