Richardson: It's God's will that Iowa vote first, and then there's the Constitution...

[Lobster Martini]

(LM: I like Bill Richardson, but I have no idea what he meant to say. This might be the strangest thing that any presidential candidate will say between now and November ’08 unless the Supreme Court rules that W. can run again. Or maybe if Dan Quayle comes back from...where? Quote is from the Des Moines Register.)

"Iowa, for good reason, for constitutional reasons, for reasons related to the Lord, should be the first caucus and primary," Richardson, New Mexico's governor, said at the Northwest Iowa Labor Council Picnic.

(LM: What?)

(Link: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007709040378)

[Bucky]

1. Bill Richardson is a great negotiator, a talented diplomat

Sadly, he's a little bit a blank slate as a candidate. He does a good job, but I don't think he'll sell.

[valerief]

2. Very wacky remark. He's lost the atheist vote. nt

[indepat]

4. Wacky indeed. It's as if God had nothing better to do than inject himself in the partisan politics

of a nation with 5% or so of the earth's inhabitants. Wacky.

Edit: than substituted for that

[valerief]

5. ?????????????????? Huh?????????????????????

:shrug:

[Hamlette]

3. Maybe he got it confused with New Hampshire

I've heard New Hampshire's constitution says it holds the earliest primary. I assume Iowa's constitution doesn't say anything about being the first caucus.

There is also the possibility, which is how I read it, that he was kidding. Like McCain with the high school kid (McCain's was actually funny.)

[undeterred]

6. Yeah, there's even a Book of Iowa in the Bible.

Its right after the Book of Illinois.

[seasat]

7. It was intended as a joke.

His campaign posted in their blog on it. It's sort of like Kerry's joke about education and being stuck in Iraq or Gore's joke about his mother singing him the union label song. According to the folks at the rally, they didn't take him seriously on it. Richardson mixes a lot of humor throughout his stump speech and improvises sometimes instead of following a script. Unfortunately, that sometimes gives opponents ammo to use against him when a joke like that isn't clearly delivered or taken out of context.

[Toasterlad]

8. That Wacky Richardson Humor! Remember "Gay is a Choice"? Hilarious!