Just got fundraiser mail from Bill Richardson. The outside of the envelope said
The war is Iraq is not the disease.
Iraq is a symptom. The disease is arrogance.
– Troops out in 6 months
– No troops left behind
– Congressional deauthorization of war
– Promote Iraqi reconciliation conference
– Work with all neighbors and allies
– Cooperation in reconstruction
– Redeploy to meet real threats
Some of his points make the faulty assumption that the US must lead the way to peace and reconstruction rather than understanding that those who live there are the best qualified to do so, which just more of that American Exceptionalism. But hey, even with that, Richardson is more overtly anti-war than any other candidate and the only one with a specific timeline for when to get out.
I don’t get his mailings because I’m not a Dem, but my brother’s came in an envelope that said, “Being stubborn is not a foreign policy.”
Richardson is the only candidate in either party with experience in diplomacy. I thought his comment on the Clinton/Obama flap over meeting with Chavez and the like was telling: he said he didn’t see what the big deal was, he’d already met most of the leaders in question. And he’s the only candidate who has.
Of course, since when is experience a prerequisite for becoming president?