In a web exclusive, Newsweek’s Carl Sullivan does a fantastic interview with Bill Richardson, in which Bill explains that America is ready for a woman or minority president running as a unifying centrist:

I think America is very tolerant. I believe a minority or a woman could be elected. It’s just got to be the right message. You’ve got to appeal to the American mainstream. You can’t run as a woman or a Hispanic. You run as an American, a healer. And I believe such a candidate, regardless of their ethnicity, could be elected.

Couldn’t agree more. The first candidate to break through the “white guy” barrier in a presidential race will be someone who goes way beyond identity politics and presents a message the wide center of American voters can get behind. And Bill goes on to hint, though not actually declare, that he could be the guy:

I consider myself as somebody who can unite people. My book talks about bridging cultures and living between two worlds as I have. I haven’t made a decision [about 2008]. I’ve made a decision to run for re-election [as governor of New Mexico in 2006], and then I’m going to take a look at it and see what happens after this re-election.

For more, including Bill on Latin American policy, the growth of Hispanic political power, bipartisanship, and the next step for the Democratic Party, check out the interview.

I’m not entirely sure how this announcement jives with what we’ve been writing about lately (see below on the Colorado primary):

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Utah Governor Jon Huntsman will hold a press conference at 11:30 am, Tuesday, October 11th, in the Governor’s cabinet room to discuss bipartisan Western Governor’s support for creating a “Western States” Presidential Primary in 2008.

What does it mean to discuss “support” for this notion? Is this separate from the official Democratic efforts to reorganize the primary schedule–is it in addition? A unified “Western States” primary (say, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, and Arizona) somewhere on the February calendar along with a “first in the West” Colorado primary early on, like we’ve argued for, would make the Gov… well, happy.And that makes us happy.

This may, however, be nothing more than two states jointly endorsing the idea of a western primary, something that’s been floating around for a while. It would still be a good step. The more the primary calendar can be loaded with big opportunities for Western Democrats to soar, the better the party’s long-term prospects for success. Period.