I am, of course, number one million to point us to this, but at times it just seems worthwhile to note these moments for a sort of record for poserity, the downfall moment a candidate, and where Bill Richardson lost me. 

Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson said Tuesday that his comment about it being God’s will that Iowa votes first was off-the-cuff as he defended the state’s primacy in the nomination process.

Campaigning in south-central Iowa, the New Mexico governor faced questions about his comment Monday in which he suggested that there was a more serious reason for Iowa to lead the nomination process with caucuses.

“Iowa, for good reason, for constitutional reasons, for reasons related to the Lord, should be the first caucus and primary,” he said Monday. “And I want you to know who was the first candidate to sign a pledge not to campaign anywhere if they got ahead of Iowa. It was Bill Richardson.”

The Des Moines Register reported on Richardson’s comments to the Northwest Iowa Labor Council Picnic in Sioux City.

Asked about it Tuesday, Richardson said: “Look, that was an off-the-cuff comment where I said Iowa and New Hampshire should be first.”

When pressed further, he said Iowa should launch the primary calendar because “it’s a tradition in American politics that has worked.”

“Iowa scrutinizes candidates through a grass-roots state. They are very good at winnowing down candidates,” he said. “They don’t listen to national polls. Iowa voters are very independent and issue-oriented.”

I cannot quite figure out which part of the story is worst: the first part — God loves Iowa just as he (she? it?) loves every single sports team on the planet.  (Though its spot on the presidential election calendar is roughly as much a curse as anything else.  Yes.  I want to bump my elbow against John Cox the next time I eat breakfast at a diner.)  Or his later implications, which… well… serves as an attack at the other 49 states as much as it does a service to the greatness of Iowa…

Arbitariness in the now insane presidential process notwithstanding … I hear Iowa is a hole anyways.  And I say that because I want to burn any and all possible bridges to an American Presidency.  Maybe I should also solicit sex in the men’s room?

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