A Politician Who Loved Being Courted

Published

2 years ago

September 14, 2023

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Every so often, someone asks me who my favorite politicians to write about over the years have been. I always place Bill Richardson, the longtime congressman and former governor of New Mexico, near the top of my list. I once mentioned this to Richardson himself.

How high on the list? he immediately wanted to know. Top 10? Top three? I get competitive, you know.

Richardson died in his sleep on Friday, at age 75. I will miss covering this man, the two-term Democratic governor, seven-term congressman, United Nations ambassador, energy secretary, crisis diplomat, occasional mischief magnet, and freelance hostage negotiator who even holds the Guinness World Record for the politician whos shaken the most hands13,392in an eight-hour period.

Make sure you mention that Guinness World Record thing, Richardson urged me the first time I wrote about him, in 2003. The handshake record is important to me.

Why? I asked. Because it shows that I love politics, he replied. And I do love politics. I love to campaign. I love parades. I dont believe Im pretentious. Im very earthy.

But why was the fact that he loved politics important?

Because Im sick of all these politicians these days who are always trying to convince you that they are not really politicians, Richardson went on. I had noticed this phenomenon as well, and it holds up: that the slickest and most unctuous people you encounter in politics are often the ones who spend the most energy trying to convince you they hate politics and are in fact not professional politicians.

I dont mind being called a professional politician, Richardson added. Its better than being an amateur, right?

From the September 2023 issue: How America got mean

Richardson was an original. Born to a Mexican mother and an American businessman, he spent much of his childhood in Mexico City and identified strongly as Latino. He served as chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in the 1980s and was the only Latino governor in America during his two terms in Santa Fe. Richardson spoke often about how his dual ethnic and cultural identities placed him in advantageous and sometimes awkward positionsbetween worlds (which hed use as the title of his 2005 memoir).

His identities also placed Richardson in big demand as probably the most prominent Latino elected official in the country at the time. He absolutely loved being in big demand, and was milking his coveted status as much as possible when I first encountered him. That September, all of the 2004 Democratic candidates for presidentJohn Kerry, Howard Dean, John Edwards, etc.were straining to pay respects to Richardson after a debate in Albuquerque.

I was working for the Washington Post Style section at the time, and I found Richardsons full-frontal love of the game quite winning. He was over-the-top and unabashed about the enjoyment he derived from the parade of candidates coming before him. Its fun to get your ring kissed, Richardson told me that night, though he might not have said ring.

We were walking into a post-debate reception for another candidate, Senator Joe Lieberman. Like most of the Democratic VIPs in Albuquerque that night, Lieberman was an old friend of Richardsons; theyd worked together on the 1992 Democratic Party platform committee.

I wore this to curry favor with you, Lieberman told Richardson, pointing to a New Mexico pin on his jacket. You also saw that I spoke a little Spanish in [the debate].

I thought that was Yiddish, Richardson said. Lieberman then got everyones attention and offered a toast to El Jefe.

Richardson let me ride around with him in the back of his SUV while he tried to hit post-debate receptions for all of the candidates. I noted that hed instructed the state police driver to keep going faster and faster on Interstate 40the vehicle hit 110 miles an hour at one point. When I mentioned the triple-digit speed in my story, it caused a bit of a controversy in New Mexico. Ralph Nader made a stink. (If he will do this with a reporter in the car, Nader said, according to the Associated Press, what will they do when theres no reporter in the car?)

The next time I saw Richardson, a few months later, he shook his head at me and tried to deny that the vehicle was going 110. I held my ground.

Oh, whatever. Fuck it, Richardson said. That was fun, wasnt it?

Richardson ran for president in 2008, but he quit after finishing fourth in both Iowa and New Hampshire. I had since moved on to The New York Times and used to run into him on the campaign circuit. A few weeks after he dropped out, I went down to Santa Fe to interview him about the lengths that the two remaining Democratic candidatesBarack Obama and Hillary Clintonwere going to in an attempt to win his endorsement. Another Bill Richardson primary! What could be more fun?

Oh, the full-court press is on like you wouldnt believe, he told me. The political anthropology of this was quite interesting too, he added. Barack is very precise, like a surgical bomb, Richardson said. The Clintons are more like a carpet bomb. He relished my interest in the pursuit of him.

I want to make it clear that Im not annoyed by any of this, Richardson said of the repeated overtures he was getting from the candidates and their various emissaries. I quoted him saying this in the Times, but not what I said in response to him in the moment: No shit, governor.

Ill admit that the notion of a pol who loves the game seems quite at odds with the tenor of politics today. People now routinely toss out phrases like our democracy is at stake and existential threat to America, and its not necessarily overheated. Fun? Not so much.

But thinking about Richardson makes me nostalgic for campaigns and election nights that did not feel so much like political Russian roulette. Presidency or prison? Suspend the Constitution or preserve it? Lets face it: Death threats, mug shots, insurrections, and white supremacists are supreme buzzkills.

From the October 2023 issue: The courtroom is a very unhappy place for Donald Trump

Richardson made it clear to me that hed loved running for presidentit was one of the best times of his life, he saidand he missed the experience of it almost as soon as he got out. But what he really wanted was, you know, the job. I would have been a good president, he said in Santa Fe in 2008. I still believe that. Please put that in there, okay?

If nothing else, the Clinton-Obama courtship was a nice cushion for Richardson as he tried to ease back into life in the relative quiet of his governors office. It also, he said, might get him a gig in the next administration. Richardson was 60 at the time and said he envisioned a few more chapters for himself in public life. Richardson told me he would have loved to be someones running mate or secretary of state.

Im not pining for it, and if it doesnt happen, Ive had a great life, he told me. Im at peace with myself.

He wound up endorsing Obama, who, after he was elected, nominated Richardson to be his secretary of commerceonly to have Richardson withdraw over allegations of improper business dealings as governor (no charges were filed).

Richardson devoted the last stage of his career to his work as a troubleshooting diplomat and crisis negotiator. He would speak to thugs or warlords, drop into the most treacherous sectors of the globeNorth Korea, Myanmarif he thought it might help secure the release of a hostage. Among the many tributes to Richardson this past weekend from the highest levels (Joe Biden, Obama, the Clintons), I was struck most by the ones from some of the people who knew directly the ordeals he worked to end: the basketball star Brittney Griner and the Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, who called Richardson a giantthe first giantin American hostage diplomacy.

The last time I saw Richardson was a few years ago, in the pre-pandemic Donald Trump yearsmaybe 2018 or 2019. We had breakfast at the Hay-Adams hotel, near the White House. I remember asking him what he called himself those days, what he onsidered his current job title to be.

Richardson shrugged. Humanitarian, maybe? he said. But he worried that it sounded pretentious.

World

Trump achieves something remarkable, but will his ‘goldfish’ attention span stay the course?

Published

59 mins ago

October 15, 2025

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Trump achieves something remarkable, but will his 'goldfish' attention span stay the course?

Two things can be true at the same time – an adage so apt for the past day.

This was the Trump show. There’s no question about that. It was a show called by him, pulled off for him, attended by leaders who had no other choice and all because he craves the ego boost.

Gaza deal signed – as it happened

But the day was also an unquestionable and game-changing geopolitical achievement.

Trump stopped the war, he stopped the killing, he forced Hamas to release all the hostages, he demanded Israel to free prisoners held without any judicial process, he enabled aid to be delivered to Gaza, and he committed everyone to a roadmap, of sorts, ahead.

He did all that and more.

He also made the Israel-Palestine conflict, which the world has ignored for decades, a cause that European and Middle Eastern nations are now committed to invest in. No one, it seems, can ignore Trump.

Love him or loathe him, those are remarkable achievements.

‘Focus of a goldfish’

The key question now is – will he stay the course?

One person central to the negotiations which have led us to this point said to me last week that Trump has the “focus of a goldfish”.

It’s true that he tends to have a short attention span. If things are not going his way, and it looks likely that he won’t turn out to be the winner, he quickly moves on and blames someone else.

So, is there a danger of that with this? Let’s check in on it all six months from now (I am willing to be proved wrong – the Trump-show is truly hard to chart), but my judgement right now is that he will stay the course with this one for several reasons.

First, precisely because of the show he has created around this. Surely, he won’t want it all to fall apart now?

He has invested so much personal reputation in all this, I’d argue that even he wouldn’t want to drop it, even when the going gets tough – which it will.

Second, the Abraham Accords. They represented his signature foreign policy achievement in his first term – the normalisation of relations between Israel and the Muslim world.

Back in his first presidency, he tried to push the accords through without solving the Palestinian question. It didn’t work.

This time, he’s grasped the nettle. Now he wants to bring it all together in a grand bargain. He’s doing it for peace but also, of course, for the business opportunities – to help “make America great again”.

Peace – and prosperity – in the Middle East is good for America. It’s also good for Trump Inc. He and his family are going to get even richer from a prosperous Middle East.

Then there is the Nobel Peace Prize. He didn’t win it this year. He was never going to – nominations had to be in by January.

But next year he really could win – especially if he solves the Ukraine challenge too.

If he could bring his coexistence and unity vibe to his own country – rather than stoking the division – he may stand an even greater chance of winning.

World

Freed Palestinian prisoner alleges torture and deaths in Israeli detention

Published

59 mins ago

October 15, 2025

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Freed Palestinian prisoner alleges torture and deaths in Israeli detention

A freed Palestinian prisoner, one of about 1,700 detainees from Gaza who had been held by Israel without charge, has described scenes of systematic torture, humiliation and death inside Israeli detention.

Akram al Basyouni, 45, from northern Gaza, says he was detained on 10 December 2023 at a shelter school in Jabalia and spent nearly two years in custody, including at the Sde Teiman military base.

“Many of our fellow prisoners were beaten to the point of death,” he told Sky News. “When we cried out to the guards for help, they would answer coldly, ‘Let him die’. Five minutes later they would take the body away, wrap it in a bag, and shut the door.”

Al Basyouni said detainees were routinely tortured, beaten with batons and fists, attacked by dogs and gassed during what guards called a “reception ceremony”.

“They beat us so savagely our ribs were shattered. They poured boiling water over the faces and backs of young men until their skin peeled away. We sat on cold metal floors for days, punished even for asking for help.”

Sky News has contacted the Israel Prison Service (IPS) and the Israel Defense Forces for comment but has not yet received a response.

Al Basyouni claimed prisoners were forced to remain on their knees for long hours, deprived of clothing and blankets, and subjected to religious and psychological abuse.

“They cursed the Prophet, tore up the Koran in front of us, and insulted our mothers and sisters in the foulest language,” he said. “They told us our families were dead. ‘There is no Gaza,’ they said. ‘We killed your children.'”

Palestinians freed from Israeli prisons in past exchanges have reported frequent beatings, insufficient food and deprivation of medical care.

A 2024 UN report said that since 7 October 2023, thousands of Palestinians have been held arbitrarily and incommunicado by Israel, often shackled, subject to torture and deprived of food, water, sleep and medical care.

Israel has maintained that it follows international and domestic legal standards for the treatment of prisoners and that any prison personnel violations are investigated.

Its National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the country’s prisons, has on multiple occasions boasted about making conditions for Palestinians as harsh as possible while remaining within the law.

Al Basyouni claimed many detainees, including doctors, died from beatings or medical neglect.

“I heard about Dr Adnan al-Bursh, may God have mercy on him,” he said. “He was struck in the chest by a prison guard, over his heart. He lost consciousness immediately and died five minutes later.”

Sky News’ own investigation found that Dr al-Bursh, one of Gaza’s most respected surgeons, died after being tortured in Israeli custody, sustaining broken ribs and severe injuries while being held at Ofer Prison.

Al Basyouni said he also met Dr Hossam Abu Safiya at Ofer and heard that Dr Akram Abu Ouda had been “subjected to severe and repeated torture.”

“Even the doctors were beaten and denied treatment,” he said. “Many reached the brink of death.”

In response to our investigation into Dr al-Bursh’s death, a spokesman for the Israel Prison Service said at the time: “We are not aware of the claims you described and as far as we know, no such events have occurred under IPS responsibility.”

World

French PM Sebastien Lecornu shelves Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform in bid for political survival

Published

59 mins ago

October 15, 2025

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French PM Sebastien Lecornu shelves Emmanuel Macron's pension reform in bid for political survival

France’s reappointed prime minister has offered to suspend controversial reforms to the country’s pension system, days after returning to the top role.

Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform, which gradually raises the age at which a worker can retire on a full pension from 62 to 64, was forced through without a vote in parliament after weeks of street protests in 2023.

Sebastien Lecornu said on Tuesday he would postpone the introduction of the scheme, one of Mr Macron’s main economic policies, until after the 2027 presidential election.

With two no-confidence votes in parliament this week, Mr Lecornu had little choice but to make the offer to secure the support of left-wing MPs who demanded it as the price of their support for his survival.

The prime minister will hope it is enough to get a slimmed-down 2026 budget passed at a time when France’s public finances are in a mess.

It will be seen as a blow to Mr Macron, leaving him with little in the way of domestic achievements after eight years in office. But it reflects the reality that giving ground on the landmark measure was the only way to ensure the survival of his sixth prime minister in under two years.

Mr Lecornu told MPs he will “suspend the 2023 pension reform until the presidential election”.

“No increase in the retirement age will take place from now until January 2028,” he added.

The move will cost the Treasury €400m (£349m) in 2026, and €1.8bn (£1.5bn) the year after, he said, warning it couldn’t just be added to the deficit and “must therefore be financially offset, including through savings measures”.

Mr Lecornu, 39, was reappointed as prime minister by Mr Macron on Friday, four days after he resigned from the role just hours after naming his cabinet – and after political rivals threatened to topple his government.

On re-taking office, he pledged to “put an end to this political crisis, which is exasperating the French people, and to this instability, which is bad for France’s image and its interests”.

Economists in Europe have previously warned that France – the EU’s second-largest economy – faces a Greek-style debt crisis, with its deficit at 5.4%.

Mr Lecornu is hoping to bring that down to 4.7% with an overall package of cuts totalling €30bn (£26bn), but his plans were dismissed as wishful thinking by France’s independent fiscal watchdog.

Mr Macron has burned through five prime ministers in less than two years, but has so far refused to call another election or resign.