The Associated Press, quoting two unnamed sources "...close to the governor with knowledge of the decision...," is reporting that Governor Bill Richardson will announce his decision to end his campaign for the presidency tomorrow, citing "...twin fourth-place finishes that showed his impressive credentials could not compete with his rivals' star power."
That's too bad. Because I, for one, liked Richardson's credentials, and a lot of his positions, too. Awhile back, when the Washington Post offered a "choose your candidate" poll that only revealed the candidates' names after you'd seen and rated all of their positions, Richardson's positions most closely matched mine, followed closely by Christopher Dodd. All the rest of the Democratic field was far behind those two--and now they've both apparently hung up their campaigning shoes. Guess that means I'll have to start paying a little more attention to the debates, and decide which of those still in this race I dislike the least.
But on the other hand, how freaking cool is it that of the top four finishers in both Democratic contests to date, one is a woman, one is an African-American, and one is Hispanic? Especially when, as usual, the Republican field consists exclusively of wealthy old white men. And even if we lose our Hispanic candidate, our field is still more diverse than anything the Republicans have managed to put up in more than a century.
I do hope, however, that the eventual Democratic nominee gives Gov. Richardson a long look as a potential running-mate, or at the very least offers him another shot at a Cabinet post. He quite clearly has the credentials for either distinction, and I can't help thinking that having Richardson as the number-two guy on the ticket would be beneficial for the eventual Democratic nominee. If that nominee winds up being either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama, that would be a huge plus--either the first woman or the first black man to be a major party nominee for president (and, Deo volente, the next president of the United States), and the first Hispanic in the vice presidential slot. A combination like that one should provide some significant campaigning advantages. Over and above the diversity angle, Richardson's impressive resume should add at least a little gravitas to Clinton's or Obama's comparative lack of experience.
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