Crazy Person of the Day: Bill Richardson Says Bin Laden Death Should Lead to Cap-and-Trade

Did this guy fall and scramble his brain or something? What kind of nuttiness is this?

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson hopes that Osama bin Laden's death will spur President Barack Obama to promote climate change legislation.

"My hope is that from this success in the foreign policy arena two days ago, that he will be emboldened to take once again to the Congress legislation - not just to increase a renewable energy standard - but climate change legislation that this country and the world need," Richardson said Tuesday at a Climate Leadership Gala hosted by the Earth Day Network in Washington.

Climate change legislation, particularly anything labeled as toxic as "cap and trade," is seen as non-starter while Republicans hold the House and many Senate Democrats are wary of the issue. But Richardson warned climate bill backers against standing on the sidelines.

"We can sit back and say, 'Well we'll wait until the next election, wait until the political climate is better.' You know if we do that, we're doomed - if we don't take action right away," he said.

We expect this kind of lunacy from hopeless cases like Al Gore, now looked upon as the nutty uncle in the attic. But we always took Richardson as somewhat sane. Well, those days are over.

Our economy is already on life support what with soaring gas and food prices. Cap-and-trade would be a death blow. If anything, that would doom us.

The Legend Continues: Outgoing NM Gov. Bill Richardson Refuses to Pardon 'Billy the Kid'

Let's face it - once Billy Joel wrote that ballad glorifying his murderous legacy, the Kid's chances of ever being granted a posthumous gubernatorial pardon dropped dramatically.

(CNN) -- Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico will not pardon legendary Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid in the death of a law enforcement officer more than a century ago, he said Friday.

Richardson made the announcement on ABC's "Good Morning America" the same day he leaves office.

The issue facing Richardson was whether one of his predecessors, Gov. Lew Wallace, promised about 130 years ago to pardon Billy the Kid -- known more formally as William H. Bonney -- for killing Sheriff William Brady of Lincoln County, New Mexico.

Wallace has long been said to have promised a pardon if Bonney testified before a grand jury that was investigating another killing. Wallace did not follow through on that promise, many say, and the reasons are debated.

Richardson said he believes that Wallace did promise to pardon Bonney. Yet there is "historical ambiguity" about why Wallace did not follow through, Richardson said, and he did not want to second-guess the former governor's decision.

"It was a very close call," Richardson said. "The romanticism appealed to me to issue a pardon, but the facts and the evidence did not support it."

Cross-posted.

Fidel Castro, New MSNBC Host?

You have to figure if MSNBC put Fidel Castro on the air he couldn't do any worse in the ratings than their abysmal lineup of wacko leftists. Considering he's parroting their talking points, not to mention seemingly every NY Times columnist, he may to be a natural fit.

President Barack Obama is trying to make positive changes in the United States, but is being fought at every turn by right-wingers who hate him because he is black, former Cuban leader Fidel Castro said on Tuesday.

In an unusually conciliatory column in the state-run media, Castro said Obama had inherited many problems from his predecessor, George W. Bush, and was trying to resolve them. But the "powerful extreme right won't be happy with anything that diminishes their prerogatives in the slightest way."

Obama does not want to change the U.S. political and economic system, but "in spite of that, the extreme right hates him for being African-American and fights what the president does to improve the deteriorated image of that country," Castro wrote.

"I don't have the slightest doubt that the racist right will do everything possible to wear him down, blocking his program to get him out of the game one way or another, at the least political cost," he said.

Castro, who writes regular commentaries for Cuba's state-run media, has criticized Obama, complimented him occasionally and said that he is watching him closely to see if he means what he says about changing U.S. policy toward Cuba.

His latest column comes during a visit to Cuba by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson that has stirred speculation that he may try to push U.S.-Cuba relations forward.

Of course if Guillermo Richardson had any testosterone he'd condemn Castro for this nonsense, but the problem is he probably agrees with him.

Hot Air links. Thanks!

'There's An Appearance of Pay-to-Play'

Yes, there's an appearance of pay-to-play. There's also an appearance of rank corruption within Democratic circles, especially the people hanging around Barack Obama. Thank goodness we have transparency and openness.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's campaigns and political-action committees received at least $102,300 from brokers hired by money managers seeking to handle $11.7 billion of state trust funds, campaign-finance records show.

In addition to those donations, Richardson, a Democrat who ran for president in 2008, received at least $95,000 from the state trusts' outside money managers.

That cash included $20,000 from Quadrangle Group LLC founder Steven Rattner and $50,381 from Leo Hindery, founder of InterMedia Advisors LLC, according to New Mexico and federal campaign-finance records.

Rattner, who directs the Obama administration's auto-industry task force, and Hindery have donated $3.8 million to Democratic candidates and political-action committees, compared with $110,200 to Republicans.

"There's an appearance of pay-to-play," said Steven Robert Allen, executive director of Common Cause New Mexico, a public-interest organization.

"Whether there's a quid pro quo or not, it raises questions in people's minds, and that's not good for a democracy to have those sorts of questions being raised about the most powerful elected official in our state."

Of course, Rattner has his own issues to deal with, but apparently he's protected.

Instapundit links. Thanks!

Heh: Richardson Withdraws Commerce Secretary Nomination

Maybe he can resign as Governor of New Mexico while he's at it.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, tapped in December by President-elect Barack Obama to serve as secretary of Commerce, has withdrawn his name for the position, citing a pending investigation into a company that has done business with his state.

"Let me say unequivocally that I and my Administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact," he said Sunday in a report by NBC News. "But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process."

He said he plans to continue in his role as governor. "I appreciate the confidence President-elect Obama has shown in me, and value our friendship and working partnership. I told him that I am eager to serve in the future in any way he deems useful. And like all Americans, I pray for his success and the success of our beloved country."

Notice how these Democrats always discover a love for this country when one of their own is in office?

H/T Hot Air.

Uh Oh: Pay for Play in New Mexico?

Add Bill Richardson as another headache for Mr. Transparency.

A federal grand jury is investigating how a company that advised Jefferson County, Alabama, on bond deals that threaten to cause the biggest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, did similar work in New Mexico after making contributions to Governor Bill Richardson’s political action committees.

The grand jury in Albuquerque is looking into Beverly Hills, California-based CDR Financial Products Inc., which received almost $1.5 million in fees from the New Mexico Finance Authority in 2004 after donating $100,000 to Richardson’s efforts to register Hispanic and American Indian voters and pay for expenses at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, people familiar with the matter said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation asked current and former officials from the state agency if any staff members in the governor’s office influenced CDR’s hiring, said the people, who declined to be identified because the proceedings are secret. Richardson, who is President-elect Barack Obama’s designate for Commerce Secretary, has a staff of at least 30 people.

“They’re looking at everything related to CDR,” William Sisneros, the finance agency’s chief executive officer, said of the FBI probe. “They’re just trying to evaluate all the relationships to see what CDR was doing for the money.”

The investigation reflects another front in nationwide efforts by U.S. prosecutors to investigate so-called pay-to-play in the municipal bond market. The term refers to banks and advisers who make political contributions or personal gifts to public officials in return for fee-paying financing assignments.

Naturally, any hint of pay for play is vociferously denied.

A company spokesman denied wrongdoing in New Mexico.

“To suggest that there’s a pay for play element is just inaccurate,” said CDR’s Allan Ripp. “There was no involvement by the governor. CDR knows for certain that they were selected on the basis of their track record.”

New Mexico finance authority officials haven’t complained about the company’s advisory work.

Richardson, a 61-year-old Democrat, is a former U.S. Energy Secretary who ran for president in 2008. He served 15 years in Congress and was the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in 1997-98. He was a consultant to Salomon Smith Barney Inc., a unit of New York-based Citigroup Inc., from July 2001 to January 2003.

Elected New Mexico’s governor in 2002 and re-elected in 2006, Richardson appoints five directors to the New Mexico Finance Authority’s 12-member board, including the chairman. Five other directors are members of his cabinet.

Using the longheld standard of Democrats, I suggest that any appearance of impropriety warrants a federal investigation. After all, we can't have a double standard, can we?

Isn't it all about transparency these days?

If You Thought Secretary of State Kerry Was Bad...

We noted Saturday some possible Cabinet appointments for Barack Obama, with names such as John Kerry and Chuck Hagel floated as Secretary of State and Defense Secretary, respectively.

Well, if those two names failed to send a chill down your spine, get ready for Director of Homeland Security Richard Clarke. Hey, why not just install Jamie Gorelick?

On national security, Obama has sought out advisors who, like him, believe in robust public diplomacy. His two top foreign policy advisors - Tony Lake and Susan Rice - are former Clintonites. Rice is expected to head the National Security Council and Lake is in contention for Secretary of State, along with Gov. Bill Richardson, Sen. John Kerry and GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel.

Obama has preached bipartisanship during his campaign, and many expect him to appoint a few Republicans to cabinet positions. Homeland Security could be headed by Bush critic and former White House counter-terrorism advisor Richard Clarke or GOP Senator Dick Lugar.

I could stomach Lugar, but the idea of putting Richard Clarke back in a position of power should scare the daylights out of people.

A hack like Eric Holder as AG should really inspire confidence considering his fine work in issuing fugitive Marc Rich a pardon.

Just as an aside, when has Obama preached bipartisanship? Somehow I've missed that.

Meanwhile, the latest polling numbers have McCain within three points in the Zogby poll but still six behind with Rasmussen. But the big news over at Rasmussen is that the long-awaited Joe the Plumber poll will soon be released.

Polling data on “Joe the Plumber” will be released later today.

Is Joe running for something? Since when are polls taken on random civilians?

No Thugs Left To Pander To

What is it with all these Democrats and their freelance diplomacy? You had that fossil Jimmy Carter over being emasculated by the terror goons of Hamas last week (how'd that work out, Jimmah?) and now you have failed presidential contender and Barack Obama's new best buddy Guillermo Richardson slobbering over Hugo Chavez.

Why do I get the feeling Democrats would be lining up for dialogue with Osama bin Laden if he were still alive?

The governor of New Mexico met on Saturday with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in an effort to restart talks with neighboring Colombia to secure the release of hostages held by leftist rebels.

Chavez this year helped free six hostages held for years by the Marxist FARC rebels in Colombia's four-decade old civil war, but talks have sputtered amid continued bickering between Chavez and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

"I've had a good meeting with President Chavez ... (he) has told me that he is willing to help in this situation," Gov. Bill Richardson told reporters after the meeting.

"Many times in a conflict like this we forget the human side, that human beings are being held hostage."

You ever notice how Democrats treat anti-American thugs with such reverence but view Republicans as if they were evil incarnate?

No Home On The Rez

A Native American gaming tribe in California is hosting a presidential forum for Democrat Party candidates this afternoon.

S-o-o-o-o, the Magic Negro and Senator Thunderthighs (Shrew-NY), well, they can't be bothered, just like a few others. "Scheduling conflicts", you see.

How does the Democrat Party save some face when the heavy-hitters, along with most of the lightweight no-names, have no time for the little people?

Send in the poster child for people-powered politics, the original darling and first successful national candidate of the reality-based nutroots community!

Howard Dean to appear at Morongo presidential forum

Former Vermont governor and one-time presidential candidate Howard Dean will join American Indian leaders for a historic presidential forum for democratic candidates today at the Morongo Band of Mission Indians Casino Resort and Spa in Cabazon.

The event, which will feature three of the eight Democratic presidential candidates -- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel -- is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. at the tribal conference center.

All three substantially trail Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., the front-runner in the race for the Democratic nomination, and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., second in the polls.

Dean also will attend today’s event and host a reception for tribal leaders following the forum.

Many of the democratic frontrunners declined to attend the forum because of scheduling conflicts, according to organizer Kalyn Free, a Choctaw from Oklahoma, who said Indian country was still “excited” about the event.

Be sure and stay excited. When it's convenient for them, you-know-who will stop by just long enough to grab a few bags of "love gifts". Just make sure that they're stuffed full, then bend over and kiss your ass good-bye because that is the only concern for Native Americans -- your money into their pockets.

Enjoy this Shrillary-free zone live, 6:30 EDT; 3:30 PDT.


Leading presidential contender Ron Paul is trying to figure out where the hell is California, otherwise he'd be in attendance.

Big Bucks for Obama

Barack Obama raked in $32.5 million this past quarter, outdistancing Mrs. Clinton by a substantial amount.

Apparently, the Breck Girl didn't unleash his wife on Ann Coulter soon enough, as he struggled to pony up $9 million.

Among other Democrats, former senator John Edwards (N.C.) finished third in the fundraising race this quarter, meeting his $9 million goal after a last-minute appeal from his wife, Elizabeth Edwards, that played off of controversial remarks by conservative television commentator Ann Coulter. Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico was not far behind, raising $7 million for the quarter.

The GOP numbers seemingly pale in comparison, and we're waiting to see what Rudy Giuliani brought in. It seems to me Obama and The Pantsuit have the ability to consistently bring in big money, so one would think that's the Democrat ticket right there.

Curious though that Democrats are spending so much time raising cash when they get and endless supply of free, fawning publicity from the overwhelmingly liberal media.