I'm Back ...

I think I finally whooped the flu or whatever that was that whooped me sometime Thursday night.

I somehow made it through the final Martinez-Denish debate (maybe I could blame my illness on the debate). But I missed work Friday. As I try to catch up, it doesn't look like I missed that much.

Cindy Adams of the New York Post had this little tidbit about Bill Clinton's recent trip to Espanola:

(Clinton) was recently in New Mexico, whose governor is also named Bill. Bill Richardson. In the Clinton White House, Richardson was our UN ambassador. In the Clinton White House, Richardson was secretary of energy. In the Clinton White House, Richardson was a favorite. Then comes our last presidential election. Clinton's former pet supports not Hillary but Obama for office. As you may realize, Bill Richardson is no longer a Clinton buddy. 

So William Jefferson was in New Mexico stumping. Richardson shows up. The event didn't invite him in. Per a very inside insider, Clinton aides, well aware of President Clinton's feelings, on their own turned Richardson away. The Gov was politely told: "Sorry, governor, this is a ticketed event." 

When they later related this to Clinton, I am informed he "laughed delightedly."

However, Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos just told me, "The story is wrong. I just sent a request for a correction. The Governor was invited to the Clinton event, but he and the First Lady were in Paris for the Robert Redford event." (Redford received the Legion of Honor award from French President Nicolas Sarkozy that same day Clinton was wowing Rio Arriba County.)

Just a week and a day until it's over. Hang in, gentle readers.

Clinton Comes to Espanola

Bill Clinton came to Espanola Thursday to give a rousing speech for Diane Denish.

The crowd at Espanola Plaza wasn't nearly as big as it was for Barrack Obama two years ago. But hey, it's a mid-term election.

Clinton is the best speaker the Democrats have, next to Obama. But Clinton's clearly the most popular speaker they've got.

He said he's been to 80 events all over the country in recent days. His voice was hoarse, but he clearly loves this part of his retirement.

And no, his old "football buddy" Bill Richardson didn't show up. In fact nobody on stage even mentioned his name.

My story for The New Mexican on the rally is HERE

Clinton Comes to Española

Former President Bill Clinton is coming to Española to campaign for Diane Denish for governor, the Denish campaign just announced.

Clinton, a popular political figure in the state — especially in Northern New Mexico — will speak October 14 at a rally on the Española Plaza. The event is scheduled at 4 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public, but space on the plaza is limited. To RSVP to attend the rally, call Denish for Governor headquarters at 505-255-1282 or e-mail to: Clintonvisit@dianedenish.com.

(Clinton Photo thanks to Timothy K Hamilton on FLICKR)

Roundhouse Roundup: Richardson Makes it to the White House

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
November 26, 2009

Thanksgiving came early this year for Gov. Bill Richardson. After more than 10 months of virtual political exile — at least on the national level, which is the level he likes best — Richardson and First Lady Barbara Richardson were happy recipients of what has been described as the most coveted invitation in the political world: President Obama's first state dinner.

The dinner was in honor of India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. I'm not sure whether Richardson knows the guy, because he's never held any American hostages.

Just about a year ago, everyone assumed Richardson would be going to these type of events all the time. After all, Obama had nominated him for a cabinet position and he was making plans to move back to Washington, D.C. But then in January, Richardson abruptly withdrew the nomination due to a federal grand jury investigation of an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving key members of his administration. Months later, the Justice Department dropped the case.

Some pundits in national online publications speculated about the significance of Richardson's presence at the exclusive White House soiree.

"Whether the fact that Richardson was invited to a party for Singh has any further significance is anyone's guess," wrote Santa Fe-based writer Sally Denton in Politics Daily. Talking about rumors of a job in the national administration, Denton added, "But Richardson insiders say the deal has been clinched — he's eager to leave New Mexico and its pesky $650-million budget deficit — and Tuesday's state dinner will be his coming-out party."

The governor, of course, has denied such speculation. "This is not about a job, it's about having dinner," he told KOAT-TV this week. "I'm going to finish my term as governor."

Steve Clemons, author of The Washington Note blog, wrote in The Huffington Post that Richardson might have had something specific he wanted to discuss with Obama.

"... House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman will be there tonight — and so too will be New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. The connection? Cuba," Clemons wrote. "Both strongly support moving the US-Cuba relationship into new territory and ending the restrictions on travel to Cuba for American citizens. ... This is a self-damaging restriction on American rights that should be ended — and Berman and Bill Richardson are on the case. Look for them whispering in the President's ear."

Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin offered her typical thoughtful and constructive perspective about Richardson being at the White House. "Like Tom Daschle, this Beltway fixture is a human toe fungus," she said. He won't go away." (Yes, Malkin makes Anne Coulter look like Little Mary Sunshine.)

Now nobody likes to be called fungus of any sort. But I bet Richardson looked on the bright side.

At least the talking heads were talking about him again.

Reunited and it feels so good: The late Gov. Bruce King used to pride himself on his ability to bring opposing political forces together. Perhaps he was smiling from beyond Saturday, looking down on his own funeral as two politicians — whose relationship for more than a year could only be described as frosty — shaking hands and speaking civilly.

I'm speaking of course of former President Bill Clinton and Gov. Bill Richardson. Their brief encounter was the first time the two had interacted, at least in public, since the 2008 Super Bowl, when Clinton came to New Mexico. The former prez was just here to watch the game with his old Department of Energy secretary at the governor's mansion. But everyone knew Clinton's real purpose was to convince Richardson to endorse his wife Hillary Clinton, who was running for president.

But Richardson ended up endorsing Obama, which angered the Clinton camp. As recently as May, The New York Times reported that Clinton hadn't forgiven Richardson.

Immediately after giving a eulogy to King on Saturday at the services at Moriarty High School, Clinton went down the line of dignitaries on the first row stopping to greet former U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, who was standing by Richardson. Clinton then stopped in front of the governor and smiled. The two shook hands and chatted briefly.

Right before Clinton began walking away, Richardson gave him a quick pat on the shoulder.

The Bruce King Funeral

A version of this will be published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
November 22, 2009

MORIARTY — There were old political allies as well as some old political opponents. There were officeholders, judges, state officials and candidates past and present, Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservatives and those in between. Governors, congressmen, even a former president. They filled a high-school gym to pay their last respects to former Gov. Bruce King.

About 2,000 showed up for prayers, hymns and bagpipes — and lots of memories shared by Kings friends and admirers, which included Gov. Bill Richardson, former U.S. Senator Pete Domenici and all three current members of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state.

On the wall behind the makeshift stage was a mural depicting wild horses in a field — appropriate for the man known as New Mexico’s “cowboy governor.”

King, who was a lifelong resident of nearby Stanley, died Nov. 13 at the age of 85. He was the longest serving governor, winning three 4-year terms between 1970 and 1990.
Former President Bill Clinton said that King was one of the first people he consulted when he began planning his first run for president. “I knew I’d get a laugh and I’d get a lesson. A lesson in politics and a lesson in life.”

Besides the Rev. Russell Lee, who presided at the services, Clinton was the only speaker. He said he first met King in 1978 at a seminar in Georgia for new governors. King was not really a new governor, Clinton pointed out, because he’d already served one term. But one reason King attended the meeting, the ex president quipped was “...wherever two or more were gathered, he wanted to be.

“When I met Bruce King, I thought I was a personable, likable, warm, outgoing person,” Clinton said. “He made me look like a psychopathic shut-in.”

Clinton said the King, known for his down-home western charm, immediately struck him as one of the warmest, friendliest people he’d ever met, but joked that the first time King hugged him “I wanted to check in my back pocket to make sure my billfold was still there. But then I realized, it was real. Every bit of it was real, and that he was the same way to everybody.”

Clinton recalled that he and King used to attend governors’ conferences at which then California Gov. Jerry Brown received virtually all the publicity. Clinton said he and King were the only governors there not jealous of Brown. He asked King why that was, to which King replied, “It’s a genetic defect ... I missed that resentment gene.”

One bit of advice that King gave him was that “politicians get into trouble when they forget it’s a job.”

After Clinton was elected president, King and his wife Alice were spending the night in the White House when they received news that their son Gary King, now the state attorney general, had been in a car accident. “They had to race out of there, worried sick about you ” he said directing the remark to Gary King.

A happier memory Clinton recalled was a campaign trip to New Mexico where “Bruce King personally served me huevos rancheros at 4 o’clock in the morning.”
That memory might have sparked the former president’s appetite. After the service he was spotted by KKOB radio reporter Peter St. Cyr at the nearby El Comedor restaurant eating huevos rancheros with Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez. They were joined later by former Gov. Toney Anaya.

One of those who came to honor King was Roberto Mondragon, his running mate and lieutenant governor for his first two terms — and who ran against him as a Green Party candidate in 1994, when King lost to Republican Gary Johnson.

“We worked together, we had some differences, we worked things out and we would work together for the good of the state,” Mondragon said after the service. He said King was “a man with a lot of love” and recalled “his really warm-hearted slap-on-the-back and ‘howdy, how ya’ll doin’ ’ It was beautiful. It worked for the cowboy governor and the singing lieutenant governor,” he said, referring to his own second career as a musician.

At a reception at Moriarty Civic Center after the funeral, former Gov. David Cargo, whose tenure preceded King’s first term, recalled a fight he had with King when both were in the Legislature in the 1960s. “I called him a ‘bucolic Rasputin,’” Cargo said. “He said, “Well, Dave, thanks for those nice words.”

Cargo said he and King kept in touch through the years and sometimes had dinner or lunch together.

State Veterans Services Secretary John Garcia, who was a deputy chief of staff in King’s final term, recalled a trip to Mexico City with King. At a restaurant there King worked the room, shaking hands with everyone including the kitchen help. Garcia said King told him, “Some of these people might move to New Mexico one day. They might vote for me.”

King had a very agile mind, said State Treasurer James Lewis, who was King’s chief of staff in the third term. At meetings, King never took notes, Lewis said. “He would give you 50 things to do. Two days later, he would ask you, ‘bang, bang, bang,’ where all these things were. He just had an amazing memory.”


Here's the Bill Clinton eulogy to Bruce King, courtesy KOB:

The Grudge Report

Granted, Gov. Bill Richardson has more to worry about these days than how an old boss feels about him. But The New York Times Magazine reports that there are still hard feelings over last year's election from the Clinton camp.

People close to Clinton said he has largely got over his resentment at Obama but not toward Ted Kennedy and his niece, Caroline Kennedy. As Clinton sees it, they say, he did so much for the Kennedys over the years that he felt they became almost family. Nor has he forgiven Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, who endorsed Obama even though Clinton appointed him to two cabinet posts.