Opinion: Denver Post tells Obama to pick Bill Richardson for VP

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Talk about getting the jump on the competition.

The Democrats have not yet convened their national convention in Denver. Barack Obama has not yet officially picked his vice presidential running mate. And most Americans are on vacation, are about to be or wish they still were.

But the Denver Post is already endorsing Bill Richardson for vice president. Even without an official presidential running mate.

In a recent editorial headlined ‘Go West, Obama: Richardson as VP,’ the paper says:

‘The first test of a vice president is whether he or she is qualified to serve in the top job should the occasion arise. Richardson clearly leads all other Democratic contenders by that standard. His outstanding record makes him an ideal partner for Obama, not only on the campaign trail but at the vital job of shaping America’s future.’

It runs through Richardson’s resume (which, come to think of it, is embarrassingly longer than Obama’s) -- ambassador at the United Nations, 14 years in the House, Secretary of Energy, two terms as a pro-business chief executive of New Mexico -- and says he would be a strong voice inside the Beltway for the West and its unique concerns.

The editorial does not mention what is perhaps the most important political factor arguing for Richardson: his well-timed abandonment of any links to Hillary or Bill Clinton, who gave him most of those substantial jobs, and his hearty endorsement of the freshman Illinois senator last spring.

Strangely, and for perhaps the first time in U.S. history, the newspaper lists as an important attribute for a potential American vice president: ‘He’s one of the few Americans actually welcomed in North Korea.’

Say what?

The newspaper says Richardson clearly would do the most of any possible No. 2 to carry the Democratic ticket to victory Nov. 4. Never mind the slap in the face it would be to the still-simmering Clinton camp and its supporters.

So it’s settled then -- at least at the site of the Democratic National Convention.

-- Andrew Malcolm