All the King's Men: Round 2

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson still seems to have problems with truthfulness, even after having the rug pulled out from under him by the Obama Administration's transition team over the weekend.

Yesterday, in a Santa Fe, New Mexico news conference, Richardson said that he was "stunned' and "disappointed" to have to announce that his nomination as the new Secretary of Commerce was being "voluntarily" withdrawn. Richardson's statements in that news conference have prompted this writer to ask a simple question:

How did Governor Richardson find himself "stunned" and/or "disappointed" if he was making a supposedly "voluntary" decision to withdraw his name from confirmation by the Senate?

Is it possible that Governor Richardson's statement contained a few "Freudian Slips?"

Out here the conventional wisdom out has it that Richardson was booted by Obama's people, supposedly after the small matter of a federal grand jury's probe into political contributions that mysteriously evolved into contracts with the state, suddenly became an issue a month after Richardson's selection for the Commerce job. But, in all fairness to Governor Richardson, he "should have seen it coming."

Bill Richardson, former United Nations Ambassador in the Clinton Administration and then the Secretary of Energy during the Clinton Administration's second term, ran in the early Democratic Presidential Primaries of 2008 against Hillary Clinton. When Richardson, after a dismal performance, withdrew from those primaries his endorsement was actively sought by the Clinton campaign. The former President himself, Bill Clinton, even flew into Santa Fe to ostensibly watch last year's Super Bowl with Governor Richardson (and to call in a few political I.O.Us). Richardson told his former boss and patron, Bill Clinton, to go to Hell.

Richardson, after due consideration, had seen which way the political wind was blowing and soon threw his support for then-Senator Obama. It was subsequently widely reported that there were two people that were very unhappy with Governor Richardson's decision, both of whom happened to be named Clinton. Then, after Obama's November victory, it was payback time.

It was no secret that Richardson desperately wanted to be Obama's Secretary of State. Hillary Clinton preempted that idea when she claimed that job on the time-honored principle of political patronage as her reward, and to punish Richardson for supporting a candidate the both she and her husband hated. After being screwed over by the "Change We Can Believe In" crowd, Richardson was given the consolation prize of Secretary of Commerce.

The Governor seems to have forgotten the Prime Directive of Politics as Practiced by the Democratic Party: Play ball with the Clintons; or else!

Then came the"surprising revelation" that the governor's name kept turning up in a grand jury's investigation of possible corruption at high levels of state government, even though the Albuquerque Journal has been carrying the story for months. And, in seeming proof that Governor Richardson is not immune to the effects of the Peter Principle, the Washington Post is reporting that Richardson did not reveal that he was under investigation to the FBI while undergoing the routine background required of all potential presidential appointees.

And, in what may be the final blow to Richardson's well-documented ego, KRQE television announced that its Viewer Poll on the question "Can Bill Richardson still govern New Mexico effectively?" revealed that 65% of those responding said "No."

Hey, Governor Richardson, can you spell "Rod Blagojevich?"