Democrat has different Iraq plan

All the Democratic presidential candidates want to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, but Bill Richardson would go further than most: He would pull all American troops out, not just combat troops.

"I'd pull out our troops, every one of them, even residual forces," the New Mexico governor told the Review-Journal. "Because our troops have become targets. They've become the excuse for propaganda against us, and we are now viewed as occupiers."

Richardson's pullout stance goes beyond the congressional Democrats' plan, which President Bush vetoed as promised Tuesday. That bill, which would set a timetable for troop withdrawal, has been termed a "redeployment" because it focuses on removing combat troops. But soldiers would remain in the country for purposes such as training Iraqi forces and fighting terrorism.

Richardson says it's not enough to leave troops in Iraq while redefining their mission. The only American soldiers in Iraq, he said, should be the U.S. Marines guarding the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

Pulling out all the troops, Richardson said, could be used as leverage as America negotiates peace between the warring Iraqi factions.

Richardson ended three days of campaigning in Nevada on Tuesday with a visit to the Culinary union in Las Vegas. He began Sunday in Carson City, traveling to Las Vegas on Monday for a fundraiser hosted by University Chancellor Jim Rogers and a rally of a group of Hispanic supporters.

Richardson also sat down with the Review-Journal's editorial board on Monday, becoming the first 2008 presidential candidate to do so.

In addition to the union event on Tuesday, he also met with the local group Hispanics in Politics, which endorsed Richardson, the only Hispanic candidate.

In an interview Tuesday, Richardson said his plan for a total Iraq pullout would make it easier to resolve the situation there.

"I am a believer in there's only a political solution. There's no military solution, and our troops being there will lessen the chance of a political solution," he said.

Richardson said some troops would remain at U.S. bases in Kuwait and Bahrain "to deal with terrorist contingencies in Iraq or anywhere else." He said he would beef up American forces in Afghanistan. Then, he said, he would use diplomacy to divide Iraq into semi-autonomous regions for the Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds. That plan is similar to what another Democratic candidate, Sen. Joe Biden, has proposed, but Richardson said he advocates a stronger federal government than Biden.

A former ambassador to the United Nations, Richardson continues to conduct freelance diplomatic missions, including a recent trip to North Korea. He stresses diplomacy in dealing with Iraq, diplomacy he would personally carry out as president.

In his talk with the Review-Journal's editorial board Monday, Richardson pitched himself as a conservative Democrat. He emphasized his pro-gun credentials and his record of cutting New Mexico's taxes.

In the Democratic candidates' first debate in South Carolina last week, Richardson was cited for his stance on guns.

"Brian Williams, the NBC guy, sort of sneered at me," Richardson recalled. "He introduced me, saying, 'You're the NRA's favorite candidate among the Democrats and the Republicans.'

"I didn't know about the Republicans. But I've had an A rating with them (the NRA), and I feel very strongly about the Second Amendment. I'm a hunter; I think it's pretty precious to the West. I've always said it shouldn't be a barometer, a litmus test in the Democratic Party. This is an issue that obviously isn't doing me much good in New York and with the cognoscenti."

Richardson, who has called for Democratic candidates to sign a pledge not to criticize each other, nonetheless took pot shots at other candidates, including Edwards, with whom he differs on whether taxes are needed to fund universal health care.

Richardson said he is different than other candidates in that "I don't believe that you need to tax every time there's a solution. My big debate with Senator Edwards ... is that he's proposed a tax to finance his health care plan. Mine is I don't believe you need a tax."

Richardson would create universal health care by mandating coverage and extending the federal and state systems currently in place, rather than creating a new system.

"I'm not a big bureaucracy fan. I guess that doesn't make me a great Democrat," he said.

States would cover children and "working families," while the federal government would cover seniors and the disabled. But new taxes wouldn't be needed to pay for it, he said.

"I just think that Democrats reflexively (say), 'OK, let's tax the rich,' you know?" Richardson said. "How many times are we going to use that to pay for something?"

Another candidate Richardson took issue with, although not by name, was Barack Obama, who in last week's debate responded to a question about how he would respond to attacks on American soil by first talking about emergency relief efforts.

"I would use the military if I had to, and I said this during the debate," Richardson said. "They asked two of the candidates, what would you do if two cities were bombed? One of them said, 'I'd have an emergency response team.' I jumped in and I said I'd retaliate if somebody attacks our cities. So I know the importance of the use of force."