Richardson wants 'zero troops' in Iraq
Posted: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 2:08 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
Democrats
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro and Lauren Appelbaum
As we reported earlier in First Read, Richardson called out Democratic rivals Clinton, Obama, Dodd, Biden, and Edwards for what he called their support of "loopholes" to keep troops in Iraq.
Talking to a couple thousand liberal activists at the “Take Back America” conference at the Washington Hilton, Richardson shifted to more forceful anti-war language on Iraq, calling for “zero troops”, “no residual troops” and even a pull out of embassy staff if it is not safe for them to remain.
Despite a slightly lopsided tie and a troublesome lack of preparation for a question on the White House e-mail controversy in a post-speech news conference, this was one of Richardson’s better appearances. He appeared confident and carefully moved toward separating himself from the rest of the field.
"I still am a nice guy,” Richardson said when asked if he has abandoned his “nice-guy” campaigning. “I was not critical. I pointed out differences.”
Richardson was greeted mildly by the crowd. The loudest applause came from a group of about 35 Richardson volunteers, standing in the back of the room holding up campaign signs.
After spending the first half of his speech on climate change, Richardson finally reached the topic the activist base came to hear -- the Iraq War. As he was building to an anti-Iraq War crescendo, a woman in the crowd egged him on with faint shouts of, "come on, come on."
One woman – donning a green Statue of Liberty foam visor, pink “Impeach Bush-Cheney” tank top, fanny pack, Birkenstocks and at least a dozen anti-war, anti-Bush pins – took pictures on her digital camera.
“For those who think we should leave a residual force,” Richardson said, “how long does that force need to be in place before we can leave? One year? Two years? Five? Ten?
“Right, Right” came up from a few voices in the crowd.
“There is not a single sign that Iraq is improving,” Richardson said. “…How many more Americans must die before we leave an Iraq that will be no better off than it is today? …We need to bring them all home.”
Then Richardson told them to sign his online petition against the war.
In what was a good-looking campaign moment, a densely compressed group stuck around to shake hands and get autographs from the New Mexico governor as Van Halen’s “Right Now” played in the background.
At a news conference after his speech, Richardson was asked about the White House email controversy, and he looked confused.
"I'm campaigning around the country," Richardson said, adding, "Is this about the US attorneys’ emails?"
Richardson seems well versed on foreign policy issues -- like distinguishing between Iraq and Afghanistan -- but this is not the first time Richardson was caught at a loss when asked about front-page domestic issues.
In March, Richardson was asked if Alberto Gonzales should resign. His initial response was, "Who?" and then he stated "I haven't been watching the news lately. You know, I'm Governor of New Mexico. I have my legislature there. So I'm not up to all the latest."
