September 9, 2007

Richardson's Ploy to Lead the Surrender Party

By Jeffrey Schmidt
In a gambit to end-run Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM) is calling for a complete withdrawal of American troops from Iraq—and quickly.  Richardson, trailing in his party’s presidential sweepstakes, is anxious to gain traction and move out front by upping the ante in the Democrats’ debate over how far the United States should go in cutting and run from Iraq.  Richardson made his case for a fast exit on the eve of the release of the Petraeus Report in an op-ed he penned yesterday for the Washington Post.  If his ploy succeeds, it may boost his prospects short-term or better position him for his party’s Vice Presidential nomination.  Overcoming Hillary Clinton’s financial and organizational advantages will be a tall order for any of the candidates.  But even if Richardson’s arguments fail to advance his fortunes, they may succeed in dragging the Democrats further left on Iraq,...(Read Full Article)