Bill Richardson
Alvirne High School, Hudson, N.H., Dec. 19, 2007

The New Mexico governor gives away baseball cards of himself at all his events. The cards, which depict Richardson on the pitcher's mound of Iowa's famous "Field of Dreams," cite his "saves" from delicate hostage negotiations in Iraq, North Korea, and Sudan. An odd analogy, but I like it.

It's a shame that Richardson doesn't include this kind of humor and irreverence in his stump speech. One-on-one, he seems like the quintessential guy you want to share a beer with. But at this student town-hall meeting, packed with people who aren't old enough to drink beer, he comes across as a monotonous policy wonk. While Richardson put these kids to sleep, my kid stayed alert during his entire presentation on Iraq. And Dahlia seems totally at ease in his hostage-negotiator arms. Maybe after the election, he'll be available to baby-sit. Ironically, Richardson is the only major candidate who is not a parent.