December 17, 2010

What is New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (he's still the governor?!) doing these days?

1. He went to North Korea!
While Mr. Richardson’s trip was approved by the State Department, he was not traveling as an official envoy. Television footage showed him arriving at the Sunan airport outside Pyongyang on Thursday. Mr. Richardson, a former ambassador to the United Nations, was greeted on the tarmac by a North Korean official who said, in English, “So nice to see you.”....

The latest inter-Korean crisis erupted three weeks ago with an artillery barrage from the North that targeted Yeonpyeong and killed four South Koreans.

“The puppet warmongers are contemplating staging madcap naval firing exercises,” said the news agency, K.C.N.A., which also called the new South Korean defense minister “a war maniac keen to ignite a war” and “a puppy knowing no fear of a tiger..
2. Apparently trying to one-up Charlie Crist, who recently pardoned Jim Morrison (for something that happened in 1969), Richardson is considering pardoning Billy the Kid, "reputed to have killed 21 men during the 19th century."
[The] pardon petition [is] based on the widespread belief that New Mexico Territorial Governor Lew Wallace had promised the famous gunman a pardon in exchange for his testimony in a murder trial but reneged on the deal....

29 comments:

Known Unknown said...

Richardson, focused on New Mexico's needs.

And I used to like the guy.

SteveR said...

I expect Synova and I feel the same. Ex Govenor Richardson sounds very good.

Hoosier Daddy said...

Can someone remind me why we have a State Department? I mean we have Carter, Bill Clinton and now Richardson zipping over to 'reduce tensions' with the NORKs. Is this just outsourcing our diplomacy now?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Is this just outsourcing our diplomacy now?

Could a trip to NK be considered a junket?

wv idilly

MadisonMan said...

I was surprised to see he was governor still also. But I see his term ends in 2 weeks.

Christy said...

Bill Richardson did this stuff quite successfully back early in the Clinton Administration. That's how I first heard of him.

David said...

Lew Wallace, a Civil War general of note, was the author of Ben-Hur.

john said...

New New Mexico governor:

✔ a woman,
✔ an Hispanic,
✔ a republican.

My "progressive" NM friends (incapable of thinking past categories) call her a sellout to her race and sex, but are mostly angry for her dejando la plantación.

traditionalguy said...

He must be investigating a real Border Fence that is actually designed to stop free crossings at will.

Amexpat said...

Can someone remind me why we have a State Department? I mean we have Carter, Bill Clinton and now Richardson zipping over to 'reduce tensions' with the NORKs. Is this just outsourcing our diplomacy now?

It's not unusual to use back channels in these situations. Could be meeting officially with the State Dept. will only be done when the NORKs make certain concessions.

Visiting N. Korea is no longer that big of a deal. There are scheduled organized tours you can join. I was in N.Korea last month, albeit for less than a minute and under the supervision and protection of the UN in the DMZ. That was about the right length of time and no revenue went to the NORKs

traditionalguy said...

He needs some R&R at the Ritz Carlton Pyongyang. Either that or he is there as a stage prop for the NKs to show good faith negotiations are possible. That would mean that Communists must not foresee Obama remaining in office for long.

Hagar said...

1. We do not know any more about what Richardson is doing in North Korea than you do. However, if "El Gordo" is involved, there is money in it.

2. The Billy the Kid pardon amounts to a post mortem slam on Gov. Lew Wallace for not honoring his promise to Billy, but has no effect on Billy's memory, since he was unquestionably guilty as charged in the pertinent homicides.
(Present, and one of the shooters when Sheriff Brady and his deputy was killed.)

Billy the Kid is known to have killed four (4) men in front of witnesses. He himself claimed two more, and he was present at some fracases where everybody was shooting, but it is not known who hit and killed who. However, it is not likely that Billy killed as many as 10 men, and it probably was less than that.

Scott M said...

He needs some R&R at the Ritz Carlton Pyongyang

Is that the "luxury" hotel that has power 12 hours a day, three days a week, complete with hot and cold running rust water?

Anonymous said...

I think they should put Richardson up at the Ryugyong instead.

Unknown said...

I smell a '12 challenge.

Hoosier Daddy said...

Can someone remind me why we have a State Department? I mean we have Carter, Bill Clinton and now Richardson zipping over to 'reduce tensions' with the NORKs. Is this just outsourcing our diplomacy now?

Look at the job our current Secretary is doing.

virgil xenophon said...

Our man Richardson is trying to stay....what is that word I'm searching for?...oh yeah, there it is: "Relevant."

Clyde said...

So decades after Charlie Manson croaks, will some idiot California governor want to posthumously pardon him, too? Richardson = tool.

wv: pilycuto. I'm not sure what that means in Spanish, but I doubt if it's complimentary.

SteveR said...

John,

Don't forget, some of her family are from El Paso, so she's a Tejano and from Las Cruces so southern New Mexico, not the rarified air of Santa Fe and Albuquerque, the Nortenos

Leland said...

I'm no fan of Richardson or the current adminstrations foreigh policy. However, Bill Richardson has had success with DPRK in the past, and right now, diplomacy there is necessary to prevent a war. I think a war will be avoided, and perhaps without so much of Richardson's assistance. However, a very ugly situation could develop as early as this weekend. ROK is preparing to conduct a live fire test that the DPRK is already suggesting will be an act of war with a potential nuclear response.

john said...

SteveR -

My acquaintances are mostly from the Silver City area, retirees (and their children) from some of the old New Mexico teepee communes. Many of them populate one or more of the environmental coalitions around here.

Beth said...

"madcap"!

You don't see that much in public discourse.

SteveR said...

John, ah yes. In the pockets of big oil and the developers.

Hoosier Daddy said...

However, a very ugly situation could develop as early as this weekend. ROK is preparing to conduct a live fire test that the DPRK is already suggesting will be an act of war with a potential nuclear response.

In a world of my creation, if I were Hu Jintao, I'd be certain that I had a trap door spider assassin very close to Kim. I mean its all well and good to have that crazy mean pit bull in your back yard to keep your neighbors at guessing but you really don't want him jumping the fence and actually ripping Bubba's kid into a chew toy. That's because Bubba will be coming over with all his cousins and will kick the living shiite out of you and burn your house down.

My message to the NORKs would be:

"I'm going to say this only once. Back off. If you attack the South again we will retaliate with the full force of the US and ROK arsenal."

Enough with the diplospeak platituds. I think some honestspeak is in order.

Phil 314 said...

Having once lived in the area I would bet the pardon of William Bonney will not win Gov. Richardson many friends. And not because of old feuds still smoldering (which they are).

It's just that Lincoln County isn't a Democratic stronghold. Frankly, folks in Ruidoso put up with Santa Fe but generally look to parts east (i.e. Texas)for guidance, inspiration and $$$

Lyle said...

Pat Garrett's family is actually fighting Gov. Richardson to not give the Kid a pardon.

... and like the Kid, Richardson will do just about anything to get himself in the papers.

Hagar said...

But that is foolishness; the pardon has nothing to do with Pat Garrett's killing the Kid.

Besides, Garrett and the Kid were friends; the killing was "just business."

Christy said...

Anyone else remember Richardson's bio including "Native American" heritage way back in the day? At what point did Hispanic begin to trump Native American in a pol's resume?

Methadras said...

Typical leftards treat a whining, brattish, tyrranical fiction called the DPRK whenever it lashes out like an errant child by flying over to it and trying to sooth its errant wants and desires by trying to pacify it.

Methadras said...

At what point did Hispanic begin to trump Native American in a pol's resume?

When it makes for better PR to seduce a growing voting bloc to vote leftard.