El Denver Post pide a Richardson

Mientras el Huffington Post también señala la inminente selección de Evan Bayh, el Denver Post, el diario más leído en Colorado junto con el Rocky Mountain News, pide a Obama que no defraude a los votantes del Oeste y haga un lugar en el ticket para el Gobernador Bill Richardson, de New Mexico.

Richardson es, sin duda, de lo mejorcito que tiene para elegir: ofrece amplia experiencia internacional y doméstica, carisma, un toque hortera del Oeste que no vendría mal para compensar la sofisticación de Obama, y un historial comprobable de apoyo a la Segunda Enmienda... Sería el hombre ideal si no fuese por el miedo al factor racial. Dos hijos de extranjeros en el ticket, uno afroamericano y el otro latino, puede ser demasiado pedir a un electorado acostumbrado a elegir hombres blancos anglosajones durante más de dos siglos. Go West, Obama: Richardson as VP

(...) 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.

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.

(...) 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. (...)