Fresh from his recent mission to Cuba, NM Gov Bill Richardson has decided to engage on the Israel-Palestine crisis and is urging that all Americans support the President as he tries to secure peace.
In an op-ed that just ran on CNN the Gov shows why he was on the short, short list of candidates for Secretary of State and is a key ally of this administration.
The Gov uses his op-ed to make clear that the status quo is unacceptable:
The United States has long sought to manage an untenable combination of circumstances in the Middle East. Rather than the situation getting better, it has only gotten worse, ultimately resulting in the debacle in Iraq, our difficult fight in Afghanistan, our continued hunt for al Qaeda, tensions with Iran and perpetual insecurity for Israel.
He also nicely summarizes President Obama's approach:
The president made it clear that the United States wants permanent status negotiations to begin without preconditions based on the parameters from past negotiations: security for Israel and Palestine, refugees, borders and Jerusalem. The president added that the United States seeks peace agreements on all fronts, including with Syria and Lebanon.
I encourage you to read the whole thing here and if you want to thank the Gov drop him an email here or cal him @ (505) 476-2200.
I'm thrilled to see the Gov step up and support President Obama in his effort to secure a just peace in the Mideast.