Candidate Review - Assassination of Benazir Bhutto - Chris Dodd

Well Chris Dodd has a banner at the top of his website, leading to his statement on the Bhutto assassination. That's nice to see.

"Today's news from Pakistan is both shocking and saddening. As a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, I have had the opportunity to travel to Pakistan and come to know Former Prime Minister Bhutto very well over the years. I spoke to her personally several weeks ago and have stayed in close contact with her since. She was a respected leader who played an important part in moving Pakistan toward democracy.

"As we recognize the loss of a leader today, we must also recognize the implication of today's tragedy to the security of the region and to that of the United States.

"At this critical time we must do everything in our power to help Pakistan continue the path toward democracy and full elections. Our first priority must be to ensure stability in this critical nuclear state.

"The United States should also stand ready to provide assistance in investigating this heinous act. And as Pakistan perpetrators to justice, it should also demonstrate that it will not allow such violence to derail democracy and proceed with elections in a timely manner."

I like this. I know I just took Richardson to task for interfering in Pakistani Affairs, but he was calling for Musharraf to step down. That's different than saying elections already planned should go forward.

Presumably you've already guessed I'm doing these in alphabetical order; it's not my fault a lot of Democrats have first names that come early in the alphabet.

Candidate Review - Assassination of Benazir Bhutto - Bill Richardson

Bill Richardson's statement isn't very realistic, unfortunately.

Benazir Bhutto was a courageous woman. Her death, and the deaths of so many of her supporters, is more than just a tragedy. It is a testament to the will of the Pakistani people to see democracy restored. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who died today.

. . . We must use our diplomatic leverage and force the enemies of democracy to yield: President Bush should press Musharraf to step aside, and a broad-based coalition government, consisting of all the democratic parties, should be formed immediately. Until this happens, we should suspend military aid to the Pakistani government. Free and fair elections must also be held as soon as possible.

It is in the interests of the US that there be a democratic Pakistan that relentlessly hunts down terrorists. Musharraf has failed, and his attempts to cling to power are destabilizing his country. He must go.

That's just not going to happen. First of all Pakistan is a necessary ally in the war in Iraq and Bush isn't going to chuck Musharraf over board. Secondly though, why do we get the right to tell Pakistan they have to change Presidents? How would we react if Europe told us we had to dump President Bush (and given the way things are going, I'd be surprised if they hadn't considered it)? I don't like President Bush but I don't think I'd be keen on that.

And I doubt the Pakistanis would be either.

Candidate Review - The Environment - Bill Richardson

I am going to note once again that I like how Richardson has set up his page; it appears that he wrote it as opposed to having a campaign drone do it for him. I don't know if he actually did; but it's still nice.

His environment page is mostly focused on conservation, or more focused on conservation than on climate change. I suppose that comes from his background, New Mexico isn't quite as polluted as, say, Washington D.C. He does address air pollution though.

We must fund federal programs and states to identify violations of the Clean Air Act by industrial facilities. We should also expand the Clean Air Act to include protections from old and dirty power plants and provide incentives for the use of cleaner fuels. We must stop attempts by the Bush administration to weaken controls on toxic mercury pollution and I strongly oppose Bush Administration policies allowing old coal plants to renovate without upgrading pollution controls.

Over all, his plan sounds pretty good, but non-specific.

Candidate Review - Illegal Immigration - Bill Richardson

Bill Richardson is, as you might expect, pretty strong on Illegal Immigration. He's Latino and he's the governor of a border state. So he's coming at this with a little experience.

As the Governor of a border state I deal with the effects of immigration, legal and illegal, every day. The federal government has not done enough to solve the problem. In 2005 violent crime, drugs, and crime were out of control along New Mexico's border with Mexico. I took action, declaring a state of emergency along the border, making $1.75 million available to local law enforcement agencies to increase patrols and add personnel. As a result, arrests are up, crime is down, and the flow of undocumented immigrants has slowed. The New Mexico border town of Village of Columbus, for example, saw an 80 percent reduction in crime.

Building a fence will not increase security, just as attempting to deport 12 million illegal immigrants is not feasible or reasonable. I believe a realistic immigration reform plan must address the problem from all sides -- securing the border, penalizing employers for knowingly hiring illegal workers, offering a tough but reasonable path to legalization, engaging Mexico in the reform process, and improving our current immigration quota system.

I'd like to be snarky hear, but really this is the right tone to take. We need to approach this problem sensibly, without pie in the sky promises about magical fences that will keep everybody out. And this sounds like a good, balanced approach.

Of course it's not going to play in Republicanland, but we'll get to their proposals in due course.

Candidate Review - Electoral Reform - Bill Richardson

On his Civil Rights page, Richardson talks about ensuring voting is handled well, and he appears to have some experience as well.

In 2006, Governor Richardson signed into law the landmark New Mexico Make Every Vote Count Act, that moves the state to a single paper ballot system, makes New Mexico's elections system more transparent and helps guarantee that every New Mexican's ballot will be counted.

Sounds good to me. But what does he have to say about campaign finance? He doesn't mention it on his issues page (that I could find) but he did release a press release on his signing a law having public financing for judicial candidates.

“With the signing of this bill, New Mexico becomes one of only two states in the country to have public financing for judicial races and fulfills a key recommendation of my Ethics Reform Task Force,” said Governor Bill Richardson. “Public financing helps assure that Court of Appeals and Supreme Court judges can run for office without the pressures of partisan campaigning or fundraising, and complements other measures passed this session such as limits on gifts and higher standards of conduct for government officials.”

Sounds pretty good, but the record isn't as deep as I would like

Candidate Review - The Iraq War - Bill Richardson

I like how Richardson starts out his issues page on Iraq.

I have a one-point plan on the Iraq War -- END IT.

Nice. He has several planks of his plan, several of which seem to be removing all troops from Iraq.

Only when the Iraqis know we are leaving will they start seeing us as partners, instead of occupiers. A complete withdrawal gives us the leverage we now lack to get the warring factions to compromise, while our presence fuels the insurgency. The Iraqis must take responsibility for their country, and only a complete withdrawal gives them the incentive to kick out al Qaeda and heal their country. Any plan that leaves troops behind will allow the war to drag on, and will cost more American lives.

Again, while I think this is the right plan, I worry that it might be too optimistic to assume that our departure will get the Iraqi people working together. That said, I understand that you can't tell the American people that a plan won't work perfectly - we expect perfection here in the United States.

Candidate Review - Health Care - Bill Richardson

After the last two discourses, Richardson's health care page is much more manageable. He does mention the magic words.

Working families and small businesses will be able to purchase coverage through the same plan that members of Congress enjoy. Americans 55 and older will be able to purchase coverage through Medicare. Veterans will get access to the high-quality care they deserve, when they need it, without bureaucratic hassles.

I should think the idea of ordinary citizens getting the same health care as our senators must be a powerful one. Enough Democrats seem to be pushing it at any rate.

Anyway Richardson references his experience as a Governor on this issue a number of times, and talks about a "Heroe's Health Card" provided to all veterans so that they aren't trapped in the VA system.

Candidate Review - Fair Trade - Bill Richardson

Bill Richardson's stance on Free Trade is hard to find - it's near the end of his detailed economic plan which has some other bits worth commenting on (hopefully we will get back around to them). At any rate he does reference Fair Trade, and he makes a certain amount of sense.

We need to move beyond tired debates of 'free trade' versus 'protectionism,' and instead roll up our sleeves and pursue better trade agreements: agreements which enhance rather than erode U.S. jobs, and which are socially just, environmentally responsible, and politically sustainable.

When trade agreements ignore labor, social, and environmental objectives, they can lead to a 'race to the bottom,' as companies displace production to countries with weak labor and environmental protections. But if trade agreements truly prioritize social and environmental objectives, they can raise living standards and expand opportunities for both American and foreign workers.

Our trade agreements must expand markets for U.S. exports and encourage job-producing investment. But they can and must do more than merely expand markets. They also must improve governance worldwide, so that strong and enforceable rules protect the rights of workers, indigenous communities, and the global commons. Such rules must be central and integral to all future bilateral and multi-lateral trade agreements.

That makes a lot of sense, particularly the bit about moving beyond "free-trade" and "protectionism." Frankly they are poles that don't add anything to the discussion; most people are in the middle. We need trade, but we need to negotiate better in how we set it up.

Candidate Review - Foreign Policy - Bill Richardson

Well Richardson largely says the right thing, which is Bush has taken us off course and we need to get back on track. He is promoting what he calls a "New Realism" in foreign policy, which is a nice phrase.

This administration’s lack of realism has led us to a dangerous place. We need to take a different path. A path based on reality, not unilateralist illusions. A path that understands that the gravest dangers that threaten us today do not threaten only us – and that therefore to pursue our national interest and meet these challenges we must work with our friends, our enemies, and everyone in between. This is a path not of hard words, but of hard work. A path of moral strength, not pious judgments. A path of strong diplomacy, backed up by a strong military and strong alliances. This is the path of American leadership.

The truth is that the Bush Administration's foreign policy, for all their protestations of hard headed realism, is based largely on fantasies. Witness the predictions for how the Iraq War and how it actually has gone. A New Realism contrasts with that nicely.

Candidate Review - Abortion - Bill Richardson

Bill Richardson's website is very clean looking as well, although perhaps a bit less ostentatious than Obamas. On the plus side finding his stance on Abortion is somewhat easier than Obama's and much easier than Dodds.

I am pro-choice and will continue to support abortion rights and medical privacy for women. I am the only candidate explicitly committing to appoint only judges who consider Roe v. Wade settled law.

So a little braggy there, but that's kind of expected on a candidate's website.