It's a good thing for Richardson. What other presidential candidate in the Democratic Party would be called upon by an administration in a nonpartisan way to represent American interests in a dangerous place?
I've probably seen 200-plus state polls over the past six months, and McCain is leading almost everywhere, and where he doesn't lead, Rudy Giuliani is ahead. All the other candidates are just footnotes.
Lots of things that smell are legal. But if a candidate is putting an emphasis on ethics, then he has an obligation that the spirit of the law be adhered to, not just the letter.