Bill Richardson: Between Worlds

Many western Democrats long for a presidential candidate who can effectively represent western sensibilities. Regarding the role of government in our lives, for example, many of us are suspicious of the power of big government and big corporations. We want government to stay far away from personal decision making, to make sure we have choices and flexibility, but to refrain from making choices for us. We also want government to address more authoritatively the problems of the west, such as water scarcity, and to honor our unique kind of cultural diversity.

So it's exciting to see potential Democratic candidates from the west start to emerge, and it's a must-read when one of them writes a book. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has just released such a book, an engrossing narrative of the upbringing and adventures of a fascinating political leader. It's titled Between Worlds: The Making of an American Life.

Richardson was born in California but raised in Mexico. His father was a manager from a New York bank who was posted to Mexico City, and his mother is Mexican. His first language was Spanish. Through much of his life, his bi-cultural and bi-lingual upbringing shaped a man with unique experiences and interests, lacking the cultural fear that confines so many Americans.

Young Bill was a talented baseball player, a star pitcher and hitter, who dreamed of a major league career. But in college it became clear that his body didn't have the durability required, and his attention turned to politics. He was an extrovert who enjoyed problem solving and constant motion, a natural leader. In spite of mediocre undergraduate grades, he managed to lobby his way into the prestigious Fletcher School of Diplomacy at Tufts University near Boston.

The book follows Richardson on a series of international adventures as a Congressional aide, then as a Congressman, and finally as US Ambassador to the United Nations. He discovered in his first job that he had a talent and interest for connecting with leaders from other cultures and mediating their disputes, getting them talking. The first opportunity, a Congressional tour of several nations in Africa, was mainly good luck. But after that he often focused his energy on finding such projects and positioning himself to be selected for them. As he developed a reputation for diplomatic successes, foreign leaders started to search him out. At various times in his career he traveled to Iraq, North Korea, Afghanistan, and many other hot spots in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

Richardson adopted New Mexico as a carpet-bagger, wanting to position himself to win a seat in Congress. But over time he paid his dues and built strong connections within the state, finally making it his home. His inter-cultural fearlessness served him well in cultivating relationships with hispanic and native groups within the state, who together make up a majority of its voters. He lost his first run at Congress by less than one percent, in a race where he was initially out-polled by his incumbent opponent 70-15 and was down by 65-18 a week before the election. He won on the second try and later was elected Governor.

After his service at the United Nations, Richardson was appointed by president Clinton as Secretary of Energy, where he served until the end of Clinton's term in 2001. This was a difficult time where he dealt with the Wen Ho Lee scandal at Los Alamos and many other entrenched bureaucratic problems. While the book paints a rosy picture of the agency's performance under his leadership, it's clear that this was not his most successful project. In contrast, he describes his current job as New Mexico Governor as his favorite, where he is clearly having fun and making a major difference.

Richardson presents himself as a serial problem-solver, never afraid to jump in, trusting his native skills to manage his way out. As an engineer, I can relate to that. What I found missing in the book was much sense of vision. It's clear he sees himself as leader of the free world someday, but I didn't find a clear picture of where he wants to lead it.

That being said, there is one area where, reading between the lines, a sense of vision is apparent: a vision for how the world settles its conflicts. Today too many of our leaders are afraid of other cultures, lacking confidence in themselves or others to build rapport and settle differences peacefully. "I don't know how to negotiate," Bush and Tancredo seem to say, "but at least I can bomb them back to the stone age." They are so fearful that they waste their valuable time at the bully pulpit telling us we should be afraid too, so we won't hold them accountable for statesmanship. Richardson clearly has a different mindset: not only is he adept at negotiation, but almost always he can get his way by talking, and finds it much quicker and easier than shooting. It's the kind of skill and confidence we desperately need in Washington.

I enjoyed this book very much, but I would like to hear much more about Richardson's vision for America. I hope he will write another book soon.