Senator Obama Should Highly Consider Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico to Be His Running Mate

To:  Senator Obama

Dear Senator Obama,

Please consider Governor William "Bill" Richardson of New Mexico to be your running mate for the 2008 United States of America presidential election campaign.

As you well know, Governor Richardson is an honest, intelligent, and very capable statesmen and governor. He has an excellent track-record of foreign policy experience and direct diplomacy, having served in congress and as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. Of critical importance to America at this time in our history, he also served as the United States Secretary of Energy and has the knowledge and experience necessary to get America on the path to environmentally-responsible energy independence.

He has a wide appeal, and is well respected by democrats, republicans, and independents. As a pragmatic, centrist politician, he has a long history of moderate positions on issues. He respects both gay rights and gun rights, and although he has invested in large transportation projects and expanded access to healthcare in his state, he has actually cut income taxes and is consistently rated as the most fiscally-responsible democratic governor in the nation by the Cato Institute.

Governor Richardson would make an excellent running mate and future Vice President of the United States because he complements Senator Obama so well. He brings to the table extensive experience with foreign policy and diplomacy, and the respect and popularity of a governor figure that citizens perceive as capable and experienced with regular execution of policy. In addition, his experience as Secretary of Energy is an asset that should not be underestimated with our current energy situation in the United States. His ability to attract the Hispanic vote, which has traditionally been captured by Obama’s primary rival, is another benefit that should not be overlooked.

Throughout his career in public service, Richardson has become known for his
diplomatic efforts and foreign policy activities. Before spending fourteen years in congress focusing on foreign relations, he was a staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. His congressional diplomacy interests lead him around the world, representing U.S. interests in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Cuba, Peru, India, North Korea, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Sudan. In 1996, On the order of the President, he traveled to Baghdad and engaged in direct, one-on-one negotiations with Saddam Hussein, securing the release of two American workers who had been captured by the Iraqi army after inadvertently wondering over the Kuwaiti border. Afterwards, he worked closely with the President on several other issues. Richardson has since been officially recognized for negotiating the release of hostages, American servicemen, and political prisoners in North Korea, Iraq, and Cuba.

After a decade of congressional service, he was appointed as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Among other duties, he represented the United States in UN proceedings on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and worked passionately to strengthen the role and mandate of the UN Environment Program on ecologically sustainable development.

After extensive work at the United Nations, Governor Richardson was appointed the United States Secretary of Energy to the Clinton administration. Not only does he have extensive knowledge and experience with domestic energy policy, but he has also been a consultant and advisor to different companies in the energy sector. As you know, Energy is a vital requirement of the American economy, and the shift to renewable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly energy will be of critical importance to the United States in the coming years. Americans are desperate for leaders in Washington who understand the monumental challenge ahead of us and who will work passionately towards implementing responsible solutions to the looming crisis. Too long, Americans have had to put up with a president that would rather stick his head in the (middle-eastern) sand and continue to cater to the Big Oil and Coal lobby. We need smart leaders that will work to develop a comprehensive national energy policy that focuses federal funding in areas of scientific research, infrastructure development, and tax incentives for renewable energy technology. I believe Governor Richardson is the best qualified individual for this task in your new administration.

After his term in the Clinton administration as Energy Secretary, Richardson became the governor of the state of New Mexico, having been the first Hispanic man to be elected to any state governorship in the history of the United States. As a politically moderate governor, he has implemented many reforms, both traditionally liberal-leaning and conservative-leaning with wide appeal. He has worked to cut taxes in the state, provide additional service benefits to National Guardsmen, and as a proud firearm owner, he signed into law legislation creating a state permit system for New Mexicans to carry concealed weapons. He is fiscally conservative for a democratic governor and Forbes magazine credited Richardson's reforms in naming Albuquerque, New Mexico the best city in the U.S. for business and careers.

On the other hand, he has formed a state investment partnership to fund large-scale public infrastructure projects throughout New Mexico, including a brand new commuter rail line. He supports gay rights, and has added sexual orientation and gender identity to New Mexico’s official list of civil rights categories. He most recently signed into law a bill that made New Mexico the 12th state in the U.S. to legalize marijuana for medical use.
Having been asked whether this would affect his chances for the presidency, he replied that it did not matter, as it was “the right thing to do”. Also, Governor Richardson was recently chosen as Chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.

Besides his “domestic” agenda as Governor, Richardson has continued his diplomatic and foreign policy efforts overseas; even being humorously referred to as “the only governor with a foreign policy”. During his first term, he negotiated with North Korea on their heavily publicized nuclear energy program. More recently, he flew to Sudan to meet Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir and successfully negotiated the release of an imprisoned National Geographic journalist that had been charged with espionage. Soon after, working with the Save Darfur Coalition, he brokered a 60-day cease fire between Al-Bashir and several rebel leaders in Darfur, Sudan.

Overall, Governor Richardson would make both an excellent strategic running mate and future Vice President of the United States. He is popular, widely-respected, and I believe he complements Senator Obama’s political position and experience better than anyone else whose name has been tossed around. Please consider him as your running mate.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Senator Obama Should Highly Consider Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico to Be His Running Mate Petition to Senator Obama was created by Citizens of the United States and written by Sam Winter (winterspan@gmail.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.