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editorial
Go West, Obama: Richardson as VP

By The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 08/01/2008 06:11:29 AM MDT

When Barack Obama comes to Denver later this month to formally accept the Democratic Party's nomination for president, we hope he will have a son of the West — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson — by his side as his running mate.

Insiders suggest that Obama is mulling Richardson and Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, among others, as potential vice presidential candidates. We think there's only one direction to go.

The first test of a vice president is whether he or she is qualified to serve in the top job should the occasion arise. Richardson clearly leads all other Democratic contenders by that standard.

His outstanding record makes him an ideal partner for Obama, not only on the campaign trail but at the vital job of shaping America's future.

After 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Richardson was appointed by President Clinton in 1997 as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. That background and other diplomatic experience means Richardson would bring formidable foreign policy credentials to the Democratic ticket — offsetting one of Obama's key weaknesses.

He's one of the few Americans actually welcomed in North Korea.

But that's only the start of Richardson's strong resume. In 1998, Richardson was appointed U.S. secretary of Energy, giving him strong expertise in an area that now dominates domestic policy discussions. He also has been a strong proponent of renewable energy in his home state.

And as a two-term pro-business governor of New Mexico, Richardson also has the strong executive experience that Obama lacks. He knows something about balancing a budget.

At New Mexico's helm, Richardson has proved to be a vigorous and effective governor who has focused on healthy growth and new jobs. In his first year in office, Richardson proposed tax cuts to promote growth and investment.

Working with business and legislative leaders, he created Governor Richardson's Investment Partnership (GRIP) as a means to fund large-scale public infrastructure projects throughout New Mexico, including a brand new commuter rail line (the Railrunner) that runs between Belen, Albuquerque and Bernalillo.

New Mexico is a strong state economically, thanks to Richardson's strong leadership.

As a native of the West, he would lend a strong voice in Washington to the issues and concerns that affect this region — issues that are often overlooked in Beltway politics.

Richardson's record not only qualifies him to assume the presidency, it makes him an ideal partner to the visionary and eloquent Obama in the task of running this country. And as a leading figure in a Rocky Mountain West that has emerged as a swing political region, Richardson could do more than any other possible running mate to carry the Democratic ticket to victory in November.