Al Kamen’s In the Loop column in today’s Washington Post tells a delicious story of Bill Richardson’s power dinner in D.C. this week. Bill’s been quite coy with reporters for the most part in regards to 2008; quite rightly, he’d rather draw attention to his 2006 re-election bid. Apparently, though, Bill got excited by all the high rollers in the room and said a little more clearly than people expected what his future plans are:
After a dinner of lamb and wild rice and crepes suzette, Richardson held forth.
“You gotta read my book,” he said a few times, and then he explained why governors were the future for Democrats. Then: “Keep your powder dry,” Richardson was quoted by one guest as saying, “I’m running, and you can tell people that.” Two others recalled him saying: “I’m going in 2008.”
Keep your powder dry. I love it.
In a general sense, it isn’t really too early to start whispering about 2008, though we’re far from official announcement and rally time. One guy who knows this is on-the-way-out Virginia Governor Mark Warner, who has just put together a national team that says “Make me presidential!” all over it.
I have nothing against Warner, but the WaPo article is telling; it slots a platitude from Warner’s current lieutenant governor (”I genuinely believe he is the Democrats’ best shot at winning in 2008?) next to the truth about his resume: no foreign policy experience, one-term governor. Warner has held NO elected office besides this one. Hmm. If only we had a popular Democratic governor with more time in government and a gargantuan foreign policy background! We could call him…”Bill.”