WASHINGTON (CNN) – Hillary Clinton isn't the only White House hopeful to barnstorm Iowa with a former president this year.
Former TV President Josiah Bartlet, also known as actor Martin Sheen, is set to hit the trail with Bill Richardson this weekend. Sheen announced his support for Richardson earlier this month, hailing the New Mexico governor as "ready for prime time."
Sheen is no stranger to the White House - at least, not the Hollywood version. He has played the President of the United States at least four times: in addition to his run on The West Wing, Sheen played the commander-in-chief in the 1983 mini-series Kennedy, the 1987 TV movie Medusa's Child, and the 1983 movie The Dead Zone.
"I am looking forward to Martin showing me around the White House, and I hope I can serve as many terms in the White House as his characters have," said Richardson.
But it's unclear whether Sheen's endorsement will pay off at the polls. In 2004, when he was a TV "sitting president," Sheen campaigned for Howard Dean - the onetime Democratic frontrunner whose campaign quickly fizzled when the primary season began.
UPDATE: More than one member of the Bartlet administration is set to campaign in Iowa this weekend. Richard Schiff, Bartlet's hardened Communications Director Toby Ziegler on the show, will campaign with Democrat Joe Biden, the Delaware senator's campaign announced.
“The West Wing inspired its audience to seek the kind of presidential leadership that is based on experience, judgment, wisdom, and conscience,” Schiff said.
"Iowa, and America, need Joe Biden because he is ready to lead from Day One and in the high-stakes world we live in, there are no re-takes.”
– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
From CNN Politics
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I loved The West Wing, however we all know Sheen is a little on the crazy side. Richardson is now pandering to the far left. I've lost a lot of respect for him.
Politics...
Two losers don't make a winner!
I liked Martin Sheen's various portrayals of the president. Since he is Hispanic himself, his endorsement of Bill Richardson comes as no surprise. However, if he examines the total picture, BARACK OBAMA is Josiah Barlet's real-life counterpart: progressive, pragmatic, and erudite.
Can we leave the celebraties out of the election please? I don't care who it is stumping for any of these candidate. The actors should stick with that, and the sports people should stick to their sports. It is nice that they have an opinion, but they should not be any more counted than me. I wish there would be a candidate that would ask my opinion. Wouldn't it make sense for candidates to go to a location and have some one from that spot be there to say why the support the candidate? I guess not to most people.
Unless Richardson makes a "Dean scream" the media can overplay about a million times, then there is no comparison.
No true! Martin Sheen DOES indeed have a brain. Richardson is an excellent man and an excellent choice.
martin sheen should run for president with aaron sorkin as his communications director. bartlet/hoynes 2008!
Hear here, Joe Biden is the only candidate ready for primtime!
Pledge today at http://www.Dough4Joe.com
Thank You for publishing this CNN. Bill Richardson has the qualifications to become president, in spite of other people being negative.
I'm one of those quiet voters....i like to read – i consider myself a middle of the road kind of person.
Since the beginning of this marathon muck-race, I've leaned towards Richardson.
He's smart, has a GREAT deal of the right kind of experience and has proven to me to be a very thoughtful and considerate gentleman.
He's not one of the the regular, boring, say anything to get elected "pol-o-crats" that are 'in the show' now.
He's had my vote since the beginning and with the Dem Pack-Rats and Republican Beat-the-Evangelical-Drum-Bells all acting and talking as boring as yesterday's rain, he's still going to get my vote.
No, I'm not an "operative". I'll leave that nonsense to the professional politicians – dem and repubs alike.
Best of luck, Mr. Richardson.
Sigh...Sheen has gotten more conservative with age. I wish he had stayed true to his convictions and backed Kucinich.
It is nice to finally see Richardson get at least a fraction of the visibility he deserves.
The biggest tragedy of this campaign is how Joe Biden, Chris Dodd and Bill Richardson failed to articulate that they are, indeed, the most experienced candidates.
While Bill Clinton took credit for things like gun control laws and the Violence Against Women Act, he basically put his signature on bills that members of Congress like Dodd, Biden and Richardson worked very hard to produce.
They allowed Hillary Clinton to mislead voters and say she is the only one who is "ready to lead"- whatever that means.
Oh well, Hillary Clinton thought the 2008 nomination battle would be "Snow Hillary and the Seven Dwarfs."
It didn't turn out that way, thankfully. She is more like the Evil Stepmother with Obama as Prince Charming.
Martin Sheen is a GREAT actor but his political endorsement is as good as an anti-endorsement to me. Not unlike (but more so) than Oprah's.
Thank you Hollywood! I will vote for whichever candidate whose endorsing actor uses the best TV/Film cliche to promote their endorsee.
Sheen's "ready for prime-time" and Schiff's "there are no re-takes" are tied for dead last at the minute though...
this is another typical example of the sad state our political "system" has sunk to.
I love Martin Sheen to bad he endorse Richardson. I still love the West Wing.
Forget about Richardson - he's a loser. Remember how he falsely accused and imprisoned the Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho?
It was good to see a Hollywood name choose to endorse Joe Biden.... If we could just get his word out to more people, it would show that he is ready and out of the candidates, he is the only one qualified to lead our country when it comes to the world and where we now stand in the world. Our current adminstration has alienated us from many countries. We need someone who can sit down and talk to those leaders and revive our credibility with our global neighbors.
Mr. Estévez is a washed up, out-of-work former drug addict who raised such beacons of paragon as Charlie Sheen. My 7-year old nephew played George Washington in his school play, which makes him about as qualified to make political pronouncements.
Estévez follows the wisdom of Rosie; let's not forget his quote about 9/11: "I did not want to believe that my government could possibly be involved in such a thing, I could not live in a country that I thought could do that – that would be the ultimate betrayal. However, there have been so many revelations that now I have my doubts, and chief among them is Building 7 – how did they rig that building so that it came down on the evening of the day?"
Why would any reputable news outlet give any credence to such bafoons? (The answer, of course, lies in the question).
Figures.....Richardson as proof that evolution does run backwards, and his new side-kick Sheen...who's been arrested more times than Cindy Sheehan. Is she next up?
I wonder if Aaron Sorkin, Martin Sheen, and the others associated with The West Wing realize that they helped re-elect Bush in 2004. The portrayal of a White House filled with intelligent, articulate individuals working to serve the public interest (with the occasional bit of self-interest) bathed the country in a warm blanket of comfort.
Then when viewers turned on the real news and saw the real president, they projected the images they saw on The West Wing and were reassured.
Bill Richardson is running for President??
I'm a Hillary supporter. However, this country would be well served by
Bill Richardson, Joe Biden or Chris Dodd. Such a wealth of talent and
expertise.
and this matters why?
So Martin Sheen supports Bill____who, Richardson?. Perhaps he can find a place for him in his show, the West Wing. Mr. Sheen is a busy person and not retired like me.
In this most critical time in our history there is Only one candidate that supports ALL OF THE PEOPLE and that candidate is John Edwards.
President Jihn Edwards will bring about real positive change. With ALL OTHERS, it will be business as usual.
kEEPp in mind John Edwards favorite Bible quote--"As you have done it unto the LEAST OF THE, YOU HAVE DONE IT UNTO ME.'
Surprise surprise.
Left wing socialists supporting left wing socialists.
Big whoop.
Biden is indeed very capable. Although, Bill Clinton asked him to write the crime bill – it's not like it was his idea that he offered. So, get real John in NY. The President sets the agenda – period.
Thank you Richard Schiff (Toby Ziegler), the most intelligent and thoughtful member of the Bartlett administration.
Joe Biden is the only candidate that can hit the ground running. To me he has always demonstrated a straight shooting, no-nonsense, heart-felt, and very intelligent approach to this country's problems.
Why don't the people see that? I guess not enough of them watch THE NEWS HOUR with Jim Lehrer on PBS.
I hope you help Senator Biden get into the top layer of Democratic candidates and that he goes on to become our president.
Good thinking, planning, execution, and, above all, luck.
micki SCHLOSS
Los Angeles, CA
OH PUKE
WE NEED TO GET TERM LIMITS FOR THE CONGRESS AND SENATE
"I'm just a Bill. Yes I'm only a Bill." Nice try Mr. Richardson.
Richardson was a failure as U.N. Ambassador, failure as energy sec, and a failure as Gov. for allowing unfettered illegal aliens access to our country. If any 'sheen' endorses him that's another failure.
Richardson as Energy Secretary dismissed (fired) Lee from his position at LANL based on the information he had been given about Lee's (alleged) illegal activities. The Department of Justice would have been responsible for the indictment and imprisonment.
I was at the Botanical Center in Des Moines to hear Gov. Richardson this morning.
I was reassured again, hearing him that he is truly the right person for the job of President. He is the most qualified, down to earth and realistic candidate. I believe he is the one that can get this country back on track and moving in a positive direction. Unfortunately, he has quite a mess to clean up after this failed Republican group leaves.
Richardson is unfortunately an also-ran but Martin Sheen is a moron.
Richardson may well run as a vice president for the Latino vote and he does have some good ideas. Like another poster said, though, he has failed to articulate them. He held back on entering the race because he swore up and down in New Mexico that he wouldn't run for president. (Might be the first broken campaign promise.) So he did things behind the scenes like pose in big tourism billboard photos that were displayed in places like New York City. Everyone in New Mexico knew he was going to run even if he would deny it to us.
I don't that any of the nominees really appear presidential. But then, look what kind of sick joke we have in the White House now. Hardly a president by any measure. He can't speak. He can't think. And he can't do much of anything that isn't scripted for him. Hell, he can't even ride a bicycle.
Ok, I guess by that measure, the kid down the street looks presidential.
I agree with Mike NYC. Martin Sheen's political endorsement is as good as an anti-endorsement, equal to that of Oprah's. I am so tired of celebrities trying to get votes using their fame. This is so sad and makes me feel ill. Most actors are a joke when it comes to politics and anything serious. They like to use their name and image when its convenient and advantageous for them. They are just actors, pretending to be someone else in a movie. What makes them so great. I'm not sure why people hang on to every word they speak. They have an army of people and publicists telling them what to say, and writing most of the words they speak or publish. They live a life of luxury with every little whim taken care of by others, and are completely out of touch with ordinary people. Hmmm, sounds a bit like politicians. It's so phoney and meaningless, but I guess image and celebrity is what politics is all about now.
While I have always admired Richardson (though I am an Edwards supporter) I have to ask, who the hec cares who Sheen, Wimphrey, Streisand or any other celebrity supports. If you're basing your vote off celebrity opinion and endorsement it's time for you to get out of the DNA gene pool. Do us all a favor and stay home on election day.
Fictional president Josiah Bartlet is my ideal politician. Why doesn't someone hire Aaron Sorkin as their speech writer?
Oprah's doing it, why can't Sheen? Even if all of the west wing fans vote for Richardson, he'll still fall short. This may be just another ploy to fill a huge hollywood ego.
Well what do you make of this new term, "Lezident" ? as in http://www.lezident.com
I mean that's what they're saying out there even though it's not true, right? why are people like that? i don't get it.
To the entire Richardson camp:
I love you guys! You have a top tier candidate in bottom tier polls. There is nothing wrong with Richardson that a $500 million campaign budget couldn't fix. In a season without Obama he would be elevated to Hillary-rival status. He has made a great go with not one but two decks of cards stacked against him.
You can hate me for saying this, but I honestly think that Hillary or Obama will make a fine president and Richardson will either be a pretty cool VP or a total rock star of a Secretary of State.
I know that right now that fate does not seem acceptable to you all. Still, having Richardson in either of those positions will be an incredible benefit to the U.S. and if that happens we will all thank you. Because Bill Richardson would not be up for any of those jobs Prez, Vice Prez or Sec-State if you guys had not placed him on the national radar.
Good Work!
Richardson and Biden have more "experience" than the front runners. At least more foreign experience. If change is what is wanted, Obama would be the one.
Sorry. Martin Sheen didn't play the president in "Dead Zone". He was a maniacal right-wing presidential hopeful whose cowardice was exposed after he tried to use a small child as a shield from a sniper's bullet. He never came to power.
"Forget about Richardson — he's a loser. Remember how he falsely accused and imprisoned the Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho?"
Lets see high level nuclear secrets thought to be getting into chinese hands. A scientist who is chinese violating security protocols with the same classified information. Lock him down. I'ld make the same call considering the national security implications of the leak and good circumstantial evidence pointing to Mr. Ho's capability to having been that leak in having downloaded the data to non secure portable locations. I believe Richardson made the right call to the evidence in front of him.
In the end Mr. Ho got cleared after what under 9 mos serving 1 more day in jail than his plea bargain sentence. Ohh woe is me.
Personally I'm greatful there was a swift crackdown on the illegal downloading of classified data and in the end Ho served the sentence time for the crime he pleaded guilty to. Was there a huge risk if he had been transferring that information he illegally downloaded to china. Yes.
What they had on him was that he had copied BOMB designs while working at los alamos. I'ld lock him down and sort through the details later myself. What wasn't proven was that he was transferring what he copied. That copying a nuke design just nets under a year in prison is more distrubing than someone doing it getting locked down for 278 days if you ask me.
Would I make the same call Richardson did, absolutely. It is also a great example of our justice system working through the details and resolving the situation in 278 days. He wasn't tortured or renditioned just put in solitary as the case was worked out.
And the line between politics and entertainment becomes a little blurrier. "I'm not a political scientist, but I play one on TV..."
I'm torn between Clinton and Edwards, CNN. Why don't you report who Brittney Spears is endorsing to help boost me off the fence?
John from NY is absolutely correct. The three most-qualified candidates for the Democratic nomination are (in order) Biden, Dodd, and Richardson and not Clinton, Obama, and Edwards. Hopefully, all the voters in Iowa and New Hampshire will finally realize this and not let the mass media make their choices for them. I thought that Republicans were the sheep, not the Democrats!
Another excellent reason NOT to vote for Bill Richardson........
Martin Sheen is closer to the Heart Beat of the American People than Geo.w. Bush or Ronald Reagan hoped to be. Well, Ronald had Alzheimer and Bush is the Effect . But , its really the Red States that Caused it All. Something to do with the PNAC! Bill Richardson its all Yours! Take IT!
What I do not understand this is that all of you guys continue to discuss vary of things without BACKING up your sources or supports. Negative or positive, where have the lightheartedness have gone to in this world espically the American Politics?
john king said: "Forget about Richardson — he's a loser. Remember how he falsely accused and imprisoned the Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho?"
Sorry, john – Richardson merely followed up on the FEDERAL accusations against Wen Ho, and could not, as Energy Secretary, have imprisoned him. Wen Ho was imprisoned on Federal charges, and eventually pled guilty to lesser charges than actual espionage. Additionally, john, here's a quote and a link for you from the MIT National Security, Civil Rights and Politics: Lessons Learned from the Wen Ho Lee Case Panel:
"Panelist Vernon Loeb, national security correspondent at the Washington Post, described himself as a "representative of the press decrying press leaks. In Wen Ho Lee's case, the leaks were damaging to him, to the nation, to the Department of Energy and to the national labs. Without the leaks, Wen Ho Lee would never have been charged with 'faux espionage.' No one in history had ever been charged with doing what he did. Under the pressure of the glare of publicity, the FBI could not add up facts and draw any conclusion other than espionage."
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2001/lee-0502.html
I'd like to know what the FBI (Dept. of Justice) has to do with the Department of Energy and how Gov. Richardson (then Energy Secretary) could do anything but believe the FBI's investigation?
It's fairly easy, john, to Google the FACTS; apparently to you, it's more simple to make them up.
but who has Biden "ticked" off to the extent he is not the frontrunner he should be.he would be a candidate of conviction and strength particularly in international relations..
I think you have your facts wrong, John King. Bill Richardson neither arrested or falsely imprisoned Wen Ho Lee. As Secretary of Energy, he did fire Mr. Lee for a security breach. Termination of employment is a far cry from imprisonment. It was the FBI, under Attorney General Janet Reno and President Bill Clinton, who imprisoned Wen Ho Lee; where he was mis-treated and not given basic rights afforded most prisoners.
At his SENTENCING HEARING, the judge apologized for the mistreatment. Did you read that? Wen Ho Lee PLEAD GUILTY to a federal offense. Where is the false arrest? Hard to claim false arrest when you plead guilty to an offense in which you were arrested. Mistreated? YES! Denied rights? YES! Falsely arrested? NO!!! Arrested by Bill Richardson? NO! Fired by Bill Richardson? Yes!
yes, being the choice of martin sheen is the reason he shouldn't be your choice. I can't believe it's petty differences like that that you need to find reason why BR isn't a phenominal candidate. Face it, you were never going to vote for him, most of you haters are just looking for a reason why. BR can't be swift boated. he can't be cornered on poor character. He's made mistakes, but he's the first to acknowledge and apologize, point in case when he talked about school vouchers or the inappropriate 'maricon' comment. he's an honest average guy when it comes to that sort of thing.
And I'm troubled by how compedative Biden and Richardson have gotten. I really think they're both sides of the same fantastic coin.
Where was Clinton and Edwards when Sheen passed that universal healthcare bill on TV? Hmm? Where was Obama when Sheen called for a tactical strike on terrorist training sites in the Oval Office stage set? This is a huge endorsement for Richards from a former fictional president with real, fictional experience.
Martin Sheen = end of the line for richardson
Bill Richardson, 6 time Nobel Peace Prize nominee (he just recently got his 6th nomination) out-qualifies ALL other candidates on either side. He's a governor, former ambassador, congressman, energy secretary and successful negotiator with some to the worst of the worst on the world stage. If you need to know more about this man, go to his website: http://www.richardsonforpresident.com. Please don't let the media choose our nominee again!
where all the white people that complained Oprah and Obama were racist because he was black. Looks like another celebrity endorsement to me I wonder could it be that Seen and Richardson share some mathching political veiws. We may never know......
Check out http://www.operationsmartexit.org and then try to figure out why someone with
Senator Biden's experience, intellect and heart isn't in the top tier of candidates. We can thank a supine media for relentlessly feeding us the line that the only true
candidates in the race are Clinton/Obama/Edwards. Along with government reform, we need some reform in journalism. Then, perhaps, we might try re-introducing civics into the classroom.