Richardson Lays Out First Six Days

Before a crowded Exeter kitchen, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson laid out his plan for his first six days in office.

Richardson said on the first day he would deal with the war in Iraq. To a thunderous round of applause, the former United Nations ambassador said that he would bring all troops home within six months. Though when later pressed on the issue, he suggested that the logistics of a six month timetable might be difficult.

He would use the leverage of a troop withdrawal to form a coalition Iraqi government, develop an Arabic peacekeeping force and engage with Iran and Syria.

Richardson would also redirect U.S. policy foreign policy to combat global warming, preventing nuclear prevention and combating threats from terrorism.

His other five days would be dedicated to transforming the education system, revitalizing the economy to benefit the middle-class, providing healthcare, becoming energy independent and finally helping Americans “remember what America used to be like before the Bush administration took over”

Richardson also was not afraid to take swipes at his Democratic rivals. In a critique of the competing messages of Clinton (experience) and Obama (change), Richardson told the crowd “What I bring is change and experience.”

The New Mexico Governor also weighed in on the debate over using nuclear weapons. In an Associated Press interview, Barack Obama said that he would not use nuclear weapons. Hillary Clinton who argued that a president should leave all options on the table later rebuffed his comment. Richardson took a tough line on the nuclear issue and said, “I would never use nuclear weapons…As President you have to stand for something.”