By THE NEW MEXICAN

Tue Sep 4, 2007 10:53 pm

Iowa and The Lord

The Des Moines Register on Monday reported Gov. Bill Richardson saying that it’s not only constitutional but the will of God to keep Iowa as the first presidential caucus state.

“Iowa, for good reason, for constitutional reasons, for reasons related to the Lord should be the first caucus and primary,” Richardson told a labor group in Iowa.

Actually there’s nothing in the U.S. Constitution about presidential primaries or caucuses. As for the Lord, well, let’s just say he couldn’t be reached for comment.

Richardson told ABC News that his Iowa remark was just an off-the-cuff statement. “Look, that was an off-the-cuff comment where I said Iowa and New Hampshire should be first.”

But it’s not the first time Richardson has invoked the Almighty to justify keeping the early primaries the way they are.

In December 2005, he told Time magazine, “Nobody should tamper with Iowa and New Hampshire being the initial primaries or caucuses. That's God given and party given. But I see no harm in bringing other states with diverse populations early into the process. I don't believe quick-and-dirty early results are in the best interest of the Democratic Party.”

The Register, which reported some snickering after that statement, quoted some who heard Richardson’s comment first-hand.

Sioux City resident Jan Hodge said “It’s the kind of thing that would make me wince if, for instance, George Bush said it. Richardson has the saving grace of not taking himself too seriously.

Political pundit Taegan Goddard declared Richardson’s statement as “Quote of the Day” on his Political Wire blog.

Markos Moulitsas Zúniga of The Daily Kos blog was not as amused. “Richardson is really becoming the buffoon of this campaign,” he wrote Tuesday, referring to the Iowa statement.

“What a stupid thing to say,” Zúniga continued. “What an epic pander — easily the biggest pander this cycle. ... I can't believe I ever flirted with voting for the guy. He's now down in Kucinich/Gravel territory on my list.”

In a subsequent post, Zúniga wrote, “You know, (Richardson is) better than this — his solid record confirms that — but the national stage is clearly not for him. He's clearly ill-prepared for it.”

Zúniga, then refers to incumbent Republican Sen. Pete Domenici, who is facing re-election next year. “There's a nice Senate race just begging for his entrance in New Mexico. His style is clearly a great fit for his state, and it deserves non-senile, non-corrupt representation in the Senate. I know it's just a pipe dream, but I'm losing respect for Richardson the longer he remains in this presidential race. And as the highest-profile Latino in American government, I'd rather that not happen.”