Bill Richardson has responded to attacks from bloggers who twisted what was clearly a joke in support of maintaining Iowa’s status in the caucus and primary system. CNN quotes Kos as saying, “Richardson is really becoming the buffoon of this campaign.” Richardson responds to Kos and other bloggers who made similar comments:
“Bloggers can say whatever they want, but I care about the voters,” Richardson told CNN…
“Bloggers say a lot of things. They are an important part of the democratic process,” Richardson said. “But no, I didn’t put my foot in my mouth. I stand by what I said. I make no apologies about it. Iowa is important, just like South Carolina and New Hampshire.”
Ultimately it is Kos who made a buffoon out of himself in erroneously reporting on these events (similar to the manner in which Kos often unfairly attacked John Kerry while supporting other Democrats). Kos comments on this with an untrue statement:
He stands by the fact that the Lord and the Constitution all demand Iowa keep its “first-in-the-nation” status.
Richardson did no such thing. He is standing by his overall view on the Iowa caucus, not the words of his joke. Kos is confusing the joke with Richardson’s more serious statements on the Iowa caucus.
While it should have been clear that Richardson was making a joke while discussing the importance of Iowa, the point was clarified the same day as the initial reports. Both a Richardson spokesman and Richardson himself verified that the comment on the Lord and the Constitution was an off the cuff joke. Either Kos is terribly misinformed about what he is commenting on, or is outright lying. Regardless, Kos makes an incredible number of erroneous statements for someone of his prominence in the blogosphere.
As a blogger, Kos acts offended by Richardson’s comments on bloggers. In light of the inaccuracy of Kos’s blog posts such criticism from Richardson is well justified. Between this incident and the attacks on John Kerry after his joke about George Bush getting us stuck in Iraq I wonder if politicians will be willing to attempt any further jokes in their speeches.
