Yep, we just inivite Iran to a sing-a-long and buy them a Coke, and soon democracy will flourish in Iran, the mullahs will go away, and "Death to America!" will be whitewashed from the walls around Tehran!

Yeah, right!

Wasn't Richardson a diplomat before becoming governor? Is he so naive as to think the mullahs that run Iran want anything to do with the US and would NOT use talks with the US to further demonize the US and strenghten their position of power?

Naive!

"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins." — H.L. Mencken

Hobgoblin this week: Iran

No, I think that we should bait Iran and call them names. That should make the world safer for democracy.

Why not make war on every country we don't like?

If it was up to a democrat we would buy IRAN flowers and tell them we are sorry for being a powerful and free nation. BLAME AMERICA FIRST

As more time passes, I think you will see stark contrasts between the quality candidates in this race and The Frontrunner.

She shoots herself in the foot whenever she opens her mouth. Hopefully the majority of voters will have the discernment to see this and not be awestruck by her name. The Clinton that many yearn for was, in the words of The Frontrunner "not standing on that stage" in the last debate. With her penchant for self-infilicted wounds, will she not care about wounds inflicted on others? I have a 17 year-old son that I don't want to go into the military. A vote for Hillary means that is a MORE LIKELY scenario than at present. She will not make a pledge to have the troops out of Iraq by the end of her first term (if elected). She also voted YES on Kyl-Lieberman, which designates the standing army of another nation as a 'terrorist' group.

This name-recognition/funds raised/popularity contest is frightening. Please, please, please look at the candidates! She runs on her Experience and I don't know how many times in these blogs I see people parrot that "She is the most experienced to lead our country, blah, blah, blah…" When one checks the facts, she is tied with Senator Edwards as the LEAST experienced if we use election or appointment to a state or national office as the mark of that experience. I see so many speaking about how intelligent she is, but how many know that she FAILED the DC bar exam after graduation from law school? In her book she cites that "it was a busy time in her life and she was not with Bill yadda, yadda, yadda…" Sounds like an apologist to me. Do you think the president is not ALWAYS busy and can not take their eye off the ball?

She recently has her 'change + experience' slogan, since the experience isn't there, the change probably isn't either. Lobbyists are people too!, continue(expand) the war and lists of potential combatants, don't speak with leaders of other nations without some pre-conditions.

Have a good week,

I agree with everything that has been said, sadly though, even though I will be voting Richardson in the Iowa primary and I continue every day to try and get people to stop paying attention to the 'trinity' being forced down our throats (Clinton, Obama, and Edwards), I also know that people's desire to 'win' back the white house will likely overcome their desire to see the best person and candidate seated in the oval office come January of 2009. I hope that one or two of the top three will pull a Dean somewhere in the next few months before the primary, or that people will start doing research on the candidates, beyond what CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, the Times, Time magazine and the rest of the big press names are spoon feeding them, in order to make a better judgment about the people running, what they stand for, believe in, and are likely to do once in office. However, I also know that's unlikely as well.

I'm pulling for you, Bill, but sadly though I think people are more interested in there not being a republican/conservative (not always the same thing) in the white house than they are in thinking about and voting for the best and most experienced liberal and democrat for the position.

I strongly agree to,Mr.BIll making total sense, "Calling them names, labeling them terrorists, drawing up military options is just making the situation worse and inflaming the Muslim world," he said.he is absoluetly right…I hope he kind find him a good vice president under him..no obama..dangerous on policys… no hillary,there going on there names for votes..and dont mention nothing to this nature,Bill for PreZ

All the Blackwater mercenaries in the world couldn't colonize Iran.

I applaud Bill Richardson for speaking out against the Bush Administration and the Congress's unconstitutional handling of our Armed Forces. Our brave men and women in uniform serve their country honorably - far more honorably than some draft dodging blowhard talkshow hosts, or our weekend wannabe President and his medically deferred friend Dick Cheney.

Our soldiers will defend America, as stated in the Constitution. They will not, however, fight an undeclared war of aggression. The President has no moral or legal authority to send our Armed Forces on mission after mission of nation building. It is illegal and immoral, and no patriotic American should ever stand for it. The military-industrial-media complex may have fooled the American people once, but they will not be fooled again!

Mr. Ricahardson is a class act..I hope he picks up as frontrunner…i think he will save us from war…and all the others are using there popular status…you got obama,clinton saying now it might be 2013 before were out of there ..im not voting for them..I hope people can realize this,we do not need another war it would eb a disaster…he is the only one talking about it..its serious..and he makes pure sense..GO BILL GO!!!!!

Imagine if you will a war that begins with the U.S. airstriking Iranian territory. Now imagine this war beginning near the end of the Bush administration's reign. They will push for him to stay in office indefinitely to resolve the war with Iran, which Iran would easily win (do your research on their Russian-made weaponry, it's very impressive). What a mess!

It is absurd to try and declare QUDS a terrorist group, likewise to have the CIA and the ARMY declared terorists groups.
We are going to push until we allow Bush/Cheney to attack Iran. Their military is 554,000 strong. It would be tantamount to WWIII.
Both of these current wars must end. Bring our troops home NOW!!!

I strongly agree with Presidential Candidate Bill Richardson. It is very refreshing to hear a Candidate speak sensibly about War and promote international discussions over military attacks. I applaude his courage in speaking out where other Candidates more concerned with popular ratings, obviously feared to tread.

Mr. Richardsons' statements are in very good company. Former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski likened U.S. officials' saber rattling about Iran's alleged nuclear ambitions to similar bellicose statements made before the start of the Iraq war.

Brzezinski also disapproved of Bush's statement. "When the president flatly asserts they are seeking nuclear weapons, he's overstating the facts," he said. "We are suspicious, we have strong suspicions, but we don't have facts that they are."

Brzezinski, who served under President Jimmy Carter, said he is not sure how to interpret Iran's intentions. Iran has insisted its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes."

"I think it's quite possible that they are seeking weapons or positioning themselves to have them, but we have very scant evidence to support that," he said. "And the president of the United States, especially after Iraq, should be very careful about the veracity of his public assertions."

Brzezinski urged American officials to be patient, whatever Tehran's intentions may be. "If we escalate the tensions, if we succumb to hysteria, if we start making threats, we are likely to stampede ourselves into a war, which most reasonable people agree would be a disaster for us," he said.

"And just think what it would do for the United States, because it would be the United States which would be at war. We will be at war simultaneously in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. And we would be stuck for the next 20 years."

I can't believe it! Is there actually another voice of reason in this crazy political race??

Bill Richardson is right on the money — and he would know, being the former UN Ambassador and a foreign policy expert.

I truly hope Bill Richardson finds his way into the White House. He is a class act.

Obama/Richardson!

If we air attack Iran's facilities, will there 1,000,000 man army march into Iraq and attack our soldiers? War with Iran is not a good idea.

Bill Richardson-
I agree with you completely. It is imperative that America open their collective eyes and look at the way Hillary voted.

She wants to continue the same aggressive posturing with our enemies that has proved disasterous. She can claim to have all of the experience she wants, but she can not claim that she possesses the good judgement to be our president.

She can't talk her way out of this one with any $5000 per baby answer.