Richardson's public life imperfect but resilient

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090105/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/richardson_profile_5
By BEN FELLER, Associated Press Writer Ben Feller, Associated Press Writer – Mon Jan 5, 5:09 am ET

WASHINGTON – When he ran for president, Bill Richardson touted more than an adventurous style and impressive resume. He was the guy who embraced flaws as a strength, the one who said the American people "don't want blow-dried candidates with perfection."

A federal grand jury investigation into what could be a serious flaw, however, has led New Mexico's governor to a tough decision to leave the national political stage--at least for now.

Richardson on Sunday scrapped his nomination to be Barack Obama's commerce secretary. A federal grand jury is looking into how a California firm that contributed to Richardson's political activities won a lucrative state government contract.

The former U.S. diplomat sounded diplomatic in announcing his decision. He said he has done nothing wrong, but figured a dragged-out confirmation could slow down Obama's work. And so Richardson withdrew, spoke with pride about sticking with his job as governor, and told Obama he's still eager to serve down the line.

"The governor is confident that he will be cleared," said Richardson's spokesman, Gilbert Gallegos.

At 61, Richardson has been described as a blend of East Coast establishment and Western individualism with a dash of Third World acumen. He combines a competitiveness and political savvy with a down-to-earth style that often disarms adversaries, associates say. They are traits that have served him well as a congressman, U.N. ambassador, energy secretary and governor.

"His personality gets him in the door," David Goldwyn, an associate of Richardson's at the United Nations, once said. "From there he's got to deliver the message, he's got to be persuasive, and he's got to secure the objective. That's where the other part of his personality comes in — his relentlessness."

As a seven-term congressman, Richardson showed a knack for freelance diplomacy, rushing off to such places as North Korea, Sudan, Cuba and Iraq on unofficial diplomatic missions. In 1995, he persuaded Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to release two American aerospace workers who had wandered into Iraq from Kuwait. He helped free three Red Cross workers in Sudan and mediated with North Korea over the downing of two U.S. Army helicopter pilots.

Richardson was disappointed when President Bill Clinton passed him over for secretary of state. But in 1996, Clinton named him U.N. ambassador, and two years later, energy secretary. Almost immediately after going to the Energy Department, Richardson was confronted with an uproar over allegations of Chinese spying — later found to be untrue — and of a rash of security lapses at one of the government's premier nuclear weapons labs at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Members of Congress criticized his handling of the matter, though many of the problems predated his arrival at the department.

In 2002, Richardson easily won election as governor of New Mexico, then re-election in 2006.

He continued to maintain a high national profile as chairman of the Democratic National Governors Association and by raising money for congressional candidates in the 2006 elections.

An early contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, Richardson ended his long-shot bid a year ago after finishing poorly in Iowa and New Hampshire.

His endorsement of Obama stunned Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign. His bilingual, bicultural Hispanic background enabled him to campaign successfully for Obama among fellow Hispanics. But he also lamented during his own presidential bid, however, that because of his surname, many people didn't think he was Hispanic.

When Obama won, Richardson's name was in the hopper as a possible vice president, then as secretary of state. Neither happened.

But eventually Obama picked him for the commerce job, which includes selling America to the international business community.

It was all cheery that day, just over a month ago, when Obama announced Richardson's nomination at a news conference. When a reporter asked the clean-shaven Richardson what had become of his beard, Obama insisted on answering.

"I thought that whole western rugged look was really working for him. ... We're deeply disappointed with the loss of the beard," Obama joked.

By Sunday, the tone had changed markedly. This time, Obama expressed deep regret, and it was real. Richardson had stepped aside.

Putting aside the setback, Obama said: "It is a measure of his willingness to put the nation first."

___

Associated Press writers Deborah Baker, H. Josef Hebert, Nedra Pickler and Pauline Arrillaga contributed to this story.