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Power, pop, and probings from ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper

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Bill Richardson's Reign of Error

September 17, 2007 5:24 PM

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is a smart guy with loads of diplomatic and executive experience. He should be taken seriously.

But his campaign for the presidential nomination has been riddled with weird gaffes.

Today Richardson ended a speech to a union with, "Thank you AFSCME!" 

AFSCME is the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees -- an important union.
Richardson, however, was not speaking to AFSCME.

The speech was to the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU.

Hands down, Richardson is responsible for some of the most cringe-inducing painful moments of Campaign 2008.

The only thing I really remember from the so-called "Gay Debate" on LOGO -- other than panelist Melissa Etheridge talking about herself quite extensively, and Doogie Howser and Lloyd from "Entourage" in the audience -- is Richardson not understanding the question when Etheridge asked him if he thought homosexuality was a choice or not. 

It was as if he'd never even heard the question before -- an odd position for such a veteran politician. (WATCH IT HERE).

Earlier this month in Iowa Richardson said, "Iowa, for good reason, for constitutional reasons, for reasons related to the Lord, should be the first caucus and primary."

I'd be inclined to think Richardson had been joking, as his press team later tried to explain, if Richardson hadn't previously also said that Iowa was a "top 10" terror target in the U.S.

There was also that other moment when Richardson, asked whether senators should vote for the supplemental spending bill to fund the war in Iraq, said: "I'm just not that familiar with the supplemental. Which one is that?" (WATCH IT HERE).

Moments like these are all over the Internet.

I don't know if the problem is jet lag, on which he blamed his LOGO misstep, or bad staffing, or maybe this is just the real guy. But he has made the memories of Sen. Joe Biden's gaffes practically evaporate.

-- jpt

September 17, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (5)

User Comments

cordelia525 - Obama's was not a mistake he meant to say it.

Posted by: spock | Sep 19, 2007 1:30:35 PM

Don't forget Obama (lets invade Pakistan!) and Romney (as a hunter...). Wake up guys. Grab a cup of coffee, or whatever it is you need. You've got a long road yet ahead.

Posted by: cordelia525 | Sep 18, 2007 11:33:36 AM

Well at least he does not come up with lame excuses like Hilary, oh sorry she means it when she says she wants to raise taxes to make us a Socialist Country.

Posted by: spock | Sep 18, 2007 11:13:30 AM

Richardson is just imitating President Bush. Bush is famous for his gaffes. When we see Richardson's gaffes, we subliminally see something presidential about him. :) Actually, Richardson, Bush, Clinton, Giuliani, etc. are all just people. They make mistakes like you and me. However, prime-time candidates usually have a gaggle of spin-meisters to spin and obscure the gaffes and play up the heart-stirring moments. Richardson's team does not do this as well as other candidates. Actually, I think that Richardson, when he makes a gaffe, just does what most of us do. We shrug our shoulders, think to ourselves, "I wish I did not say that", and move on. In a way, Richardson has been able to avoid the scrutiny that plagues other candidates. His gaffes may be known, but at least he is not infamous. These make great stories for his grandchildren.

Posted by: Sean O'Brien | Sep 18, 2007 10:43:13 AM

You're absolutely right, Jake. When you consider Gov. Richardson's verbal mistakes and miscues, Sen. Biden's nattering and logorrhea makes him appear like Demosthenes in comparison. No matter how intelligent and thoughtful a candidate is (remember Adlai Stevenson, Jr.?), if he can't convey his ideas effectively, he's down for the count.

Posted by: chuck | Sep 18, 2007 8:50:55 AM

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