Richardson Makes it Official

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson "formally" announced that he is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President on Monday. Call me shocked, surprised or just plain stupid, but I could have sworn he already was a candidate.

I get pithy e-mails from his campaign, and have been, on a regular basis (full disclosure: I am signed up to receive all presidential candidate e-mails). He's even been touring the country, including political hot spots like Nevada, South Carolina, Iowa and New Hampshire.

He even went on the air with one of the best political ads of the campaign season.

But it wasn't until Monday, that he sent out an e-mail and -- in the fourth paragraph -- said:

Finally, today, I'm formally announcing my candidacy and launching a new website with a bevy of new tools to help you and other grassroots activists organize and participate in the campaign.

While many political pundits currently consider him to be a 'second tier' candidate, Richardson has an impressive resume -- Governor, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Secretary of Energy, Member of Congress -- and maybe his biggest plus is that he is not a member of the U.S. Senate. No man or woman has been elected President of the United States from the floor of the U.S. Senate since John F. Kennedy in 1960.