By Karen Ocamb

Keep your eyes on Bill Richardson. The governor of New Mexico not only has the best resumé and sense of humor of the 2008 Democratic presidential contenders, but he also has the distinct advantage of not being a member of Congress.

The anti-war grassroots are furious that Democrats, given a clear mandate in the November elections to end the war in Iraq, once again acquiesced to President Bush and passed an Iraq spending bill without a timetable for troop withdrawal. They are so angry, in fact, that they noted not only how presidential aspirants Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama voted (both voted no), but when—after the bill was already assured passage. Not exactly a display of presidential leadership, they say.

The intense disappointment may prompt Democratic voters to take a fresh look at Richardson who, while not a “rock star,” recently nudged into double-digits in Iowa and New Hampshire polls.

According to the New York Times on May 25, Richardson said the spending bill was a “missed opportunity” and that Congress should repeal its original use of force authorization (Clinton already introduced such a measure) and “replace it with one that requires the President to take all the troops out of Iraq by the end of the year.”

The key to Iraq, as well as other hot spots, is diplomacy and “negotiated political settlements” with “interested parties” in the region, Richardson said repeatedly at a May 21 news conference at the Biltmore Hotel officially announcing his run for the presidency. Unlike his rivals, Richardson has a strong record of effective diplomacy, serving as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, brokering peace agreements in Darfur and more recently in North Korea, as well as winning the release of hostages.

The only hitch at the news conference, where West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Prang was introduced as a supporter on Richardson’s campaign steering committee, was when he dodged a question about marriage equality from IN Los Angeles magazine. When this reporterpressed him, he turned away, looking for another reporter: "Did you have a question?" he asked KABC News reporter John North. "Where are you when I need you?"

The roomful of supporters and reporters sitting in still silence, expecting a confrontation, cracked up, though there was still a lingering question of why he didn’t respond.

Openly gay labor leader John A. Perez, who has not yet endorsed a candidate, thought that what Richardson did not say was interesting.

”He didn’t go to the old sop of saying in front of the press, ‘I’m for marriage between one man and one woman,’—and I think his silence in that way was actually very telling,” Perez told IN. “I think it spoke to the fact that he thinks about this issue in a lot more complicated and nuanced ways than we’re used to candidates speaking about it, and when you look at his track record as governor of New Mexico, I think he really has been one of the most progressive governors in a not very progressive state, with respect to a whole host of issues in the LGBT community.”

New Mexico Lt. Gov. Diane Denish told IN, “I have not supported marriage because I’ve been working with the gay community in my home state, and they have given us kind of a plan [to work] incrementally. We’ve been working with them on domestic partner rights—domestic partner rights were instituted by [Richardson’s] executive order in the state, and we work very closely with them to try to increase their rights and nondiscrimination across the board. We have a very strong gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community—it’s very active. Equality New Mexico—we work very closely with them on legislation and what we should be doing now.”

In the middle of the interview with Denish, Richardson’s communications director, Pahl Shipley asked if IN would like a one-on-one interview with the presidential candidate. This is possibly the first time a major presidential candidate has reached out to the LGBT press directly—as opposed to responding to persistent appeals by individual reporters.

Richardson is so approachable and affable, he is disarming—a point his “job interview” commercial makes with humor (www.richardsonforpresident.com). IN spoke with Richardson backstage for about 20 minutes because, he said, “I didn’t want you to think I dissed you” during the news conference.

“I believe that my record makes me the most pro-gay/lesbian candidate in the country,” Richardson said. “My record as a congressman, which was nearly perfect on gay rights issues—I voted against ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ I would get rid of it as president. My record as governor: I have passed and pushed issues relating to domestic partnership—I had a special session that included domestic partnership three months ago, [making me] the first governor to have a special session on [such] an issue. We’ve passed nondiscrimination laws in New Mexico that deal with insurance, jobs. We passed a hate crimes law. I had an executive order that permitted domestic partners to have insurance rights and health care.

“You’re looking at the candidate that has done the most for the pro-gay/lesbian community—also included transgender,” Richardson said. “And so I would hope the gay rights community supports my candidacy for president, not just on how I will vote, but what I have done as governor and as a political leader to recognize that it’s important not to discriminate on the basis of race, gender or sexual orientation.”

IN asked if Richardson thinks gays are a specific “class” of people, a distinct cultural minority.

“No,” he said. “I believe that gay people are part of the American mainstream. I would not treat gay people as a minority. I would treat them as individuals that should have full rights. I would support civil unions for gay people. I would support a national effort to eliminate discrimination of gay people—a federal domestic partners law. I would be an advocate for these issues, not somebody who talks about them and then does nothing. I would also get rid of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ because we’ve got men and women who serve this country who should be honored for their service—not quizzed about their sexual predilections. So that would go right away, should I be elected president.

“I would be for protecting gays, whatever it takes, and lesbians. Let them have full rights,” Richardson continued. “The easiest way is to make laws that cover all Americans and bar discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. I would be very comprehensive in my approach. I would be an activist on these issues. I would actually promote these initiatives as president. And so my hope is the LGBT community supports me because of what I’ve done, not because of what I say I’m going to do. Every campaign stump speech, I mention the importance of barring discrimination based on sexual orientation. I’ve done it in debates, I’ve done it at the Democratic National Committee, I’ve done it in my stump speech. It’s part of my being.”

What about AIDS? “I would re-invigorate the federal AIDS Commission—put activist members on it. I would give it strength in the bureaucracy. I would consider creating a Cabinet-level entity to deal with AIDS. I would consider that—I want to work it through. But as chair of the AIDS Commission—I would elevate it to the vice president heading it because that gives it importance. You know like the way in the Clinton-Gore administration, it was understood that Gore handled environmental issues, he handled technology issues. My vice president would handle AIDS internationally.

“And I believe we have made strides on AIDS—on research, on finding a cure, on easing pain—and we should continue that research,” Richardson said. “The millennium goals—internationally—have been actually a good thing that the Bush administration’s done. You know, they haven’t had the full support of the Congress. But I would make the elimination of AIDS, along with the elimination of international poverty, and issues related to women— sexual slavery [and] gender-based violence—major parts of my presidency.”

Richardson said he was not aware of the link between crystal meth and HIV, but, he said, “l will educate myself. But I would use the AIDS Commission as a policy entity that not only would advocate for more AIDS funding domestically, but also bring American leadership to this issue internationally, at the United Nations, at other international forums, World Health Organization. I still worry about Africa. I always worry about genocide in Africa, AIDS in Africa, refugees in Africa. We don’t pay enough attention to the human problems in Africa and I would be a president who would focus extensively on Africa.”

Richardson also said he would “push” for the bi-national immigration bill recently introduced in Congress.

IN asked why he does not support full marriage rights for gay couples.”Well, I’m a Catholic,” he said. “I believe you’ve got to be politically realistic. What you want to do is create conditions that address issues that I believe, in the short term, the American people support and understand like non-discrimination on the basis of insurance, like ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ finding ways to fund AIDS more extensively—basic protections [like] domestic partnerships—that’s where we should focus. All I’m saying is that I would be a very strong advocate in this area.”

Why did he vote for the Defense of Marriage Act when he was in Congress? “Well, I was the chief deputy Democratic Whip and it was a party vote and president Clinton wanted it,” Richardson said. “But I did vote against ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’—I thought it was ludicrous.

“And what I believe about DOMA,” he continued, “I believe this issue is too divisive. I want the states to handle it. Probably was not necessary. I want to be positive and realistic in approaching gay rights issues. I think we’ve got a long way to go to advance them. And I would be an activist President—pushing mainly the non-discrimination issues, pushing the AIDS issues, domestic partnerships and civil unions. And I’ll be there— because I’ve been there as a governor. And I’ll be there as president. And I don’t mind saying this.”

IN reminded Perez that the LGBT community has heard this kind of promise before—when then Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton waved his hand over an LGBT and AIDS audience in Hollywood and said, “I have a vision and you’re a part of it.”

“It’s more than I have a vision for America and you’re part of it because it’s not about a view of America. It’s about a track record as a governor, as a member of Congress,” Perez said. “So it’s not just, ‘Look what I’m promising to do for you.’ It’s ‘Look at my record—the fact that [as the leader of] a very conservative state, a state that voted for George Bush, I’ve moved the agenda significantly forward. When other people would hide from these issues, I stood up. I was counted and I continue to be that way.’

“There’s nobody who can say that the politics at the national level are any more difficult for our community than they are in the state of New Mexico,” said Perez. “And so when you look at the progress he made there, it’s real, and I think it’s very informative of what he would do as president. “

Richardson will speak at an ANGLE breakfast that is open to the public on June 11 beginning at 7:30 a.m. at the Hyatt West Hollywood, located at 8401 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood. Tickets are $35 per person. Go to www.angleonline.net for more information.