Weekly Debate: Bill Richardson and the path to the White House- yellow brick road or dead end?

Last January, the Hispanic governor of New Mexico- Bill Richardson- launched an exploratory committee to back a possible bid for the U.S. presidency in 2008. Several political analysts and bloggers have recently backed Richardson’s run for the White House and believe that he is not only the ideal candidate for the Democratic Party but should also be the next president. For instance, here’s what Matthew Yglesias had to say last month:

“Richardson is clearly more qualified for the White House than anyone else in the race, since everyone knows that doesn't matter. Just consider the bare fact that he's the popular, second-term governor of a swing state -- you know, the sort of person who back in the day used to win presidential elections. And it's not as if Richardson isn't getting attention because the field is crowded with popular second-term governors of swing states”.

Let’s take a quick look at some points for and against him:

Pros

• + Plenty of government experience not only as Governor of New Mexico, but also as a Congressman, Secretary of Energy, and Ambassador to the U.N.
• + Progressive views on areas like gay rights, the war in Iraq, and drugs could help him during the primaries.
• + Also has support from some right-wingers such as the Cato Institute and Instapundit readers.
• + In terms of Latin America, he highlighted the need for comprehensive immigration reform, democracy in Cuba and better relations with Latin America and the Caribbean in a recent speech.

Cons

• - Bill Who? The American public knows very little about him, especially with the media focus on Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
• - Lack of exposure and subsequent difficulties in raising funds could lead Richardson to drop out of the race much like Tom Vilsack.
• - The latest Harris Poll has Richardson behind four other Democrats including John Edwards. Meanwhile, other polls show Richardson getting easily beaten by Republican favorites Rudy Giuliani and John McCain.
• -Three Words: Wen Ho Lee

Does Bill Richardson really have a solid chance to be elected president next year? Will he have enough funds and energy to support a viable presidential bid or will it be all for naught? Should he quit or perhaps aim for a Vice Presidential nomination?

What do you think?

Links- Bill Richardson for President, MSNBC, American Prospect Online, Washington Post, VivirLatino, Daily Kos, Andrew Sullivan, Instapundit, Reason Magazine – Hit & Run, CSIS.org, TPMCafe.com, Harris Interactive, Rasmussen Reports, Wikipedia, Free New Mexican, Voice of America, BusinessWeek

Image- TIME