Bill Richardson: The Best Civil Liberties Candidate for 2008

[eggman67]

http://civilliberty.about.com/b/a/257662.htm

After careful analysis of the platforms of all 18 major-party presidential candidates, I have come to an inescapable conclusion: From a civil liberties perspective, Bill Richardson should be the next President of the United States. No other candidate in the running, Democratic or Republican, comes close.

Bill Richardson addresses the concerns of the libertarian left as well as any viable Democratic candidate. He is pro-choice. He supports a national civil unions policy and an end to workplace discrimination against lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals under Title VII standards. He supports a citizenship path for undocumented immigrants and a renewed commitment to the Geneva Conventions. This, in and of itself, is good but not remarkable.

What is remarkable is that he also addresses many of the concerns of the libertarian right. Often described as the NRA's favorite candidate, Richardson has a record on gun rights that most Republicans would envy. He has also taken on the property rights issues raised by Kelo v. New London more directly than most governors of either party can claim by establishing a task force, last year, with the specific goal of drafting statewide legislation to put an end to eminent domain abuse.

More at:
http://civilliberty.about.com/b/a/257662.htm

[billbuckhead]

1. Richardson lied about being drafted by Major League baseball

N.M. Gov Admits He Wasn't Baseball Pick

Nov 24 04:28 PM US/Eastern

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Gov. Bill Richardson is coming clean on his draft record—the baseball draft, that is, admitting that his claim to have been a pick of the Kansas City A's in 1966 was untrue.
For nearly four decades, Richardson, often mentioned as a possible Democratic presidential candidate, has maintained he was drafted by the Kansas City Athletics.

The claim was included in a brief biography released when Richardson successfully ran for Congress in 1982. A White House news release in 1997 mentioned it when he was about to be named U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. And several news organizations, including The Associated Press, have reported it as fact over the years.

But an investigation by the Albuquerque Journal found no record of Richardson being drafted by the A's, who have since moved to Oakland, or any other team.

Informed by the newspaper of its findings, the governor acknowledged the error in a story in Thursday's editions.

"After being notified of the situation and after researching the matter ... I came to the conclusion that I was not drafted by the A's," he said.
-------------------snip----------------------------
<http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8E325882&show_article=1>

I guess he was being 'libertarian" with the truth.

[dsc]

2. On the subject of lying

He said no such thing. What he did say is that he had thought he was drafted upon being offered a contract which he couldn't sign due to injury. He never said anything like that he lied.

[slackmaster]

6. Never let facts get in the way of billbuckhead bashing a Democratic candidate he doesn't like

:argh:

[eggman67]

3. The rest of the story

In the summer of 1967, he played for the amateur Cape Cod League's Cotuit (Mass.) Kettleers. The words "Drafted by K.C." appear next to his name on a faded team program, the Journal reported.

"When I saw that program in 1967, I was convinced I was drafted," Richardson said. "And it stayed with me all these years."

Then-general manager Arnold Mycock said the biographical information was supplied by players or their college coaches.

On a biographical sheet Richardson completed for Tufts in his junior year, he wrote, "Drafted by Kansas City (1966), LA (1968)." He said he wrote those words because he believed they were true.

"I never tried to embellish this," he said. "I never tried to mask it."

Ther's no reason to think this is any more than it is - am old oversight. But then you knew that. And this has sooooooo much to do with his actual positions on civil liberties.

[beevul]

8. An attempted smear...

of a Pro-gun Democratic Presidential Candidate by an anti-gun self proclaimed Democrat.

It makes me sad that I can not say I'm surprised.

[fujiyama]

9. Sounds about as relevant as Al Gore and the Love Canal story

or his lullaby or the inventing the internet or the million other petty things the media blew out of proportion.

[mmonk]

4. Bill's my number 2. Kucinich is number 1.

I have contributed to both.

[eggman67]

5. Kick for daytime viewers n/t

[ThomWV]

7. I have great respect for him - I hope he will end up as VP for whoever runs

Don't get me wrong, if he can win the Nomination I will be more than Happy to support him for all I'm worth (can't say that about some of the Democrats who would like to be the Nominee) but for now I prefer someone else (Al Gore) for the top spot.

[ShaneGR]

10. I really wonder why he hasn't gained more traction....

First off, he's a governor. That alone, historically, means he's electable as President. People forget the only candidate who wasn't a former governor, elected Presidented, in the last almost 50 years is Kennedy. He's got fantastic foreign policy experience too.

[eggman67]

11. I think alot of it is the lack of media attention.

He doesn't have the glamour factor of the "Big Three" It's something of a catch-22 on name recognition. The media only covers you if you have it and the only way to get it is to get the media to cover you.