This is just part of an orchestrated "ramp up" to Kerry's VP announcement. Richardson, true to form, was just following orders to "drop out now." He's never been anything but a Dem foot-soldier.

"Here I am, the well-respected Governor of New Mexico. Should I give all that up so I can be second banana to a fossilized, haughty, French-looking northeastern ultra-liberal and embark on a forlorn quest for the presidency, supported by barking moonbats from the Michael-Moore-Noam-Chomsky-"Bush=Hitler" wing of the local mental hospital?

"Naaaah!"

Richardson would have been a good choice for Kerry -- much better than Gephardt.

"Richardson said he wants to keep a promise to the people of his state to serve a full term..."

What a crock...whatever the reason, the message is supposed to be that "Kerry wanted me but I turned him down." The only people who might have believed that aren't even paying attention yet.

James Taranto at WSJ online says that Richardson sent his regrets without having been told that he was being considered.

It was a pre-emptive declination.

If you are a Republican, you should be thankful Bill Richardson is not John Kerry's running mate. As a moderate, hispanic and governor of a state which traditionally gives its electoral votes to Republicans, Bill Richardson could have given John Kerry exactly what he would have needed to narrowly win the Presidential election.

As a Bush supporter, nothing could have made me happier than to see Richardson as JFK's VP. He is a nothing, with the charisma of a (small, unremarkable) tree. His Hispanicity is entirely theoretical, and the electoral strength of New Mexico is as close to zero as is possible. The only reason that I am not sorry to see him go is that I never thought, and had no evidence to believe, that he was in contention in the first place.

He declined because he wanted to preserve his ability to run for something in the future.