In August, Senator Obama Should Announce That He Will Ask Governor Richardson To Be His Secretary Of State

Senator Obama needs a foreign-policy expert as his Vice Presidential running mate, and it would help if that person were also a well-connected, highly-respected Washington insider, considering that Senator Obama has spent only a few years in the U.S. Senate (though it should be pointed out that he has spent many more years in politics in general). I believe that the best person for that particular job is Senator Joe Biden (followed by, say, Senator Evan Bayh and perhaps former Senator Sam Nunn).

Yet just as important as the Vice Presidential position is that of Secretary of State, at least to my mind. This is because the Secretary of State has it as his or her job description to travel the world and engage in high-level diplomacy, both in front of and (especially) behind the cameras. With nearly every aspect of domestic policy affected by foreign policy these days, the role of U.S. Secretary of State, which has always been high-profile in nature, has actually increased in importance over the past few years. If Senator Obama becomes the next president--and, yes, it is a big "if" at this point--I believe that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson should be the next U.S. Secretary of State. He is experienced, tough, fair, and he certainly knows the diplomatic playing field. In fact, Senator Obama should announce that he will ask Bill Richardson to be his Secretary of State, should he be elected U.S. President, and he should make this announcement right around the time he announces the name of his running mate (which will most likely take place in August).

Why should he announce it early? First of all, it would be a compelling factor in getting Governor Richardson to accept the post. Secondly, Governor Richardson's background will impress independent voters as being well-suited to taking on the role of Secretary of State. Such an announcement would be electorally-helpful with many of those folks and also with many Hispanic voters (whose votes Senator Obama has struggled to win, at least in the primary process). It would help Senator Obama make the argument that his will be an experienced, diverse, and proactive administration.

Here are some of the things that Senator Obama should say (in his own words, of course) regarding Governor Richardson, should he take my advice regarding making the governor his future Secretary of State:

1.) Governor Richardson has excelled at an impressive number of high-profile government jobs--in the legislative branch (a multiple-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives), the executive branch (a multiple-term state governor), the federal bureaucracy (U.S. Energy Secretary under President Clinton), and the international realm (U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations during the Clinton Administration). Thus, he not only understands how the various branches of the U.S. government (and world governments) coordinate in an academic sense, but in a hands-on sense, as well, so he would be immediately prepared to help his boss communicate and coordinate U.S. foreign policy shifts/alterations both with foreign governments and inside the U.S. government. This should not be understated, since behind-the-scenes communication at various levels is obviously a major part of the Secretary of State's role.

2.) Governor Richardson has held both a semi-cabinet role (U.S. Ambassador) and a full cabinet role (Energy Secretary) in a previous presidential administration (the Clinton Administration). This bolsters his gravitas with a potential new Obama cabinet, which in turn enhances his ability to coordinate with other cabinet appointees as needed, and direct that coordination as appropriate.

3.) Governor Richardson has been an on-going international hostage negotiator for many years now, and he knows that hostage negotiations can either be resolved rather quickly or go on for what seems like an endless period of time...or anything in between. He's dealt with the frustration of negotiations that have had to be started over due to circumstances out of anyone's control, missteps on the part of any given party, or other events that intervene and overshadow the ongoing negotiations. It is therefore the case that he has learned how to be flexible when need be, inflexible when the scenario calls for it, patient or insistent, etc.; he's learned how to avoid blanket readings of situations, instead focusing on reading each scenario according to its individual components and acting according to those components.

4.) Governor Richardson has the respect of leaders worldwide, including some of the most troublesome, ruthless ones. For instance, he grew to be a popular member of the United Nations, which allowed him to make necessary professional connections with both friendly and not-so-friendly governments around the world; this helped other countries to understand U.S. policies better, so as to counteract resentment stemming from confusion. It also helped him (and by extension the Clinton Administration) establish a tough-but-fair world policy without being automatically disliked for it; that is, the U.S. could throw its weight around when necessary, without being nearly universally loathed for doing so.

5.) Speaking of dealing with not-so-friendly governments, Governor Richardson has also entered into tough negotiations with difficult leaders--such as Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro, the North Korean regime led by Kim Jong Il, and, of late, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Over time, his success rate insofar as achieving particular U.S. goals with such difficult leaders has been impressive. (This may be why even the current U.S. president has very quietly used him occasionally for behind-the-scenes government talks, particularly regarding the North Korean scenario, which, it should be pointed out, is at this point looking like one of the few successes of the Bush years....)

6.) By all reports, Governor Richardson's open-and-honest, what-you-see-is-what-you-get public persona remains intact behind the scenes, but added to it is a worldly, intelligent toughness that lets people know that the U.S. will not be bullied by anyone. Off-setting this toughness is the fact that he has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize five times (including this past year), and he has negotiated successfully with dangerous guerrilla groups in order to ensure peace for innocent civilians in several locations throughout the globe, which has won the respect of the local peoples as well as their admiration, which translates to admiration for the United States.

7.) Governor Richardson is intimidated by no one, which is exemplified by the fact that he often insists on meeting foreign leaders on their turf, and, if he has been asked in a manner that will not be used for propaganda purposes, he will meet them at just about any time of their choosing. When he meets them he is respectful and often open-minded, but he can be demanding if the scenario calls for it. Yet even when he is demanding, he is not petulant about it, but rather serious about laying out the various reasons why being demanding is at that point necessary.

8.) Governor Richardson speaks three languages fluently--English, Spanish, and (suprising to even some of his staffers when he first used it in public) French. Being multi-lingual is a real selling-point for a Secretary of State in an increasingly-globalized world; obviously, English is still the most widely-spoken diplomatic language, but a mastery of several languages instills respect amongst diplomatic peers.

9.) Like all politicians--like all people, really--Governor Richardson has made tactical mistakes in his professional career, and, given his wide professional resume', he has learned from those mistakes in order to avoid making them in the future. This is to say that he is highly unlikely to make mistakes based on inexperience regarding the job at hand, because his various jobs have often focused on the very same things--or at least very similar things--that a Secretary of State must do on a daily basis. He is primed and ready for it.

10.) As U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Governor Richardson spent a majority of time dealing with the delicate situation in the Middle East, most of it (though not all of it) centered on Iraq. He knows the cultures and power players in the region, and just as importantly, he knows their motivations. He also knows that perception means everything in that region (even more than elsewhere in the world), so he would be prepared to thread the needle in that he could carry out tough diplomacy, which is demanded at home, while allowing Middle Eastern leaders to save face with their people, as well. Hence, progress can be achieved due to favorable conditions for all involved. It would be difficult to achieve, but such a scenario would be "win-win" in nature, and, given time, he could pull it off in a few critical cases.

And let's not forget this, as well: he works hard, very hard. We need a hard-working, experienced, worldly Secretary of State who is not hamstrung by Bush-esque policies. That individual is Bill Richardson.