New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson highlights his resume in his new ad, reports Jim Kuhnhenn for the Associated Press:

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson launched an ad in Iowa Thursday, implicitly tweaking rival Hillary Rodham Clinton for depicting herself as the candidate of change and experience and laying claim to that title for himself.

"George Bush has made a mess of almost everything," an announcer states in the ad. "Now we need experience and change. Bill Richardson offers both."

Richardson, a former congressman, cabinet secretary and diplomat, has long argued that he has the most diverse government resume of any Democrat in the contest. He also is calling for a complete withdrawal of troops from Iraq, a stance that distinguishes him from the rest of the field and one that he says represents the sharpest new direction offered by any candidate.

Read the whole article at the link above. Richardson undeniably sports the most varied portfolio of political experience not only of current candidates, but of any candidate in either party at least since George H.W. Bush (who had been congressman, RNC Chair, DCI, first envoy to China, and Veep).

The only "tweaking" of Clinton is in the accompanying press release, where he is touted as the candidate who "represents both change and experience 'despite the fact other candidates may be trying to 'borrow' the phrase.'" Wow, that's gonna leave a mark . . . NOT.

At this point, Richardson needs something akin to a political Perfect Storm to win the nomination, and many observers - including this one - believe he is angling for the Vice Presidential slot. He would bring a lot to a ticket with his resume, Hispanic origins, and his status as a popular Governor in a battleground state.

Like most politicians, he is not without blemish, though. As Energy Secretary, a raft of classified material disappeared from nuclear labs on his watch. As UN Ambassador, he gave an extraordinary personal job interview to a low-level applicant, a Miss Lewinsky, on the basis of a White House request without asking any questions. He has also often repeated the tale that he was drafted as a baseball pitcher out of college by the then-Kansas City Athletics, which is not true. These things probably mean more to political junkies than the general electorate, though, being "inside baseball" stuff (pun intended).