Kos Pains Me…

Kos writing on who Bill Richardson should endorse:

Endorse no one, Bill! Except he’s one of my two top choices for the veep slot (the other is Gov. Kathleen Sebelius), and I doubt that slot will go to someone who sits out the primary.

This is the kind of silly talk that makes me realize that if I started this website 8 years ago instead of 1 year ago, that it’d be just as big (probably bigger) than Daily Kos. My point being that people can’t really be flocking to him for brilliant political analysis, right? It must be because he’s just been around a while. I mean my goodness…

I’ve already touched on the subject of a Richardson VP possibility before, but with all the new talk out there, I’ll probably update this analysis in the next couple of days. What I said in early December about why a Hillary/Richardson ticket will not happen (not all, but some of the same arguments apply to why an Obama/Richardson ticket is also unlikely):

The reality is simple: Hillary Clinton will not choose Bill Richardson as her running mate for a whole host of reasons…

1. Richardson’s position and rhetoric on the Iraq War is different enough from Sen. Clinton’s that it could create an issue in the general election where Clinton is spending time dealing with Richardson’s position and rhetoric on the issue. Richardson wants out immediately (a position that he’s evolved to and accordingly is subject to the “flip flop” attacks), whereas Clinton wants a slower withdrawal with a continuation of anti-terrorist operations. Their positions are incompatible enough to preclude him from being a viable VP choice.
2. Richardson’s rhetoric on Immigration, again, is very un-Clintonian.
3. Some of Richardson’s flaws with respect to his work as Secretary of Energy have really not been discussed during this election cycle, but they were a significant consideration for Al Gore in 2000, when Gore crossed him off the VP list.
4. Richardson is too undisciplined to be brought into the Clinton presidential election machine.

So, for you Richardson folks, I am sorry to disappoint, but if he doesn’t win the nomination this time around, don’t count on him running in ‘08 as the VP. That said, if Richardson does lose, I don’t expect him to simply fade away.