It would be a rare day indeed in this pre-election year if NO ONE announced their candidacy for President, but this weekend saw another "heavy hitter" join the race, in the form of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, as Jennifer Talhelm of the Associated Press reports:

A self-described underdog in the crowded 2008 presidential race, Democrat Bill Richardson begins the difficult task of proving he can raise enough money to be a serious contender for the party's nomination.

The 59-year-old New Mexico governor announced in a video posted Sunday on his Web site that he would set up an exploratory committee that will let him raise money and assemble his campaign organization.

"I believe these serious times demand serious people, who have real-world experience in solving the challenges we face," Richardson said in the video. "I humbly believe I'm the best-equipped candidate to meet these challenges."

Read the rest at the link above.

Richardson is clearly one of the most qualified contenders in either party, having served as Governor, Secretary of Energy, and UN Ambassador, as well as a Congressman. If elected, he would be the "first Hispanic President." His lack of a charismatic speaking voice may hurt him somewhat, but he is able to discuss most issues in a calm and meaningful way, which certainly should have at least some novelty value in the Democratic Party.

Richardson has three major areas of weakness, though. If he begins to show strength in the polls, expect his rivals to test them.

1. He was Energy Secretary at a time of very lax security at our nuclear research labs, particularly Los Alamos. Security isn't the direct responsibility of the Secretary, of course, and the problems there neither began with his arrival nor ended with his departure.
2. As UN Ambassador, he was very easily persuaded to give a personal interview and find a good job for Monica Lewinsky, an entry-level applicant at best, at the behest of the White House.
3. He has often repeated the assertion that he was drafted out of college as a baseball pitcher by the then-Kansas City Athletics, which has since been conclusively proven to be untrue.

None of these things may disqualify him from office or prove political poison, but they will lead to the sort of questions with which friendly media talk show hosts have never bothered him. And it will be interesting to contrast his debate performances with inexperienced opponents like Edwards and Obama.