"Richardson and the bloggers on Iraq" (with video)

Ben Smith, with video (04:29):

The guys at OpenLeft, among others, worked on and appear in this Bill Richardson Web ad, which draws sharp contrasts between him and each of his five leading rivals.

"Bill Richardson is the only major Democratic candidate with a plan to withdraw all the American troops from Iraq," the announcer says.

The ad represents, in part, the frustration of some on the anti-war left that leading Democrats favor a gradual withdrawal. And leading bloggers' throwing in their lots with Richardson -- or at least with the issue of the war -- gives him as plausible a claim on being the "Netroots candidate."

Here's Chris Bowers on the ad:

I am thrilled to be working with Bill Richardson on this issue. While this ad is not an official endorsement of Bill Richardson's candidacy, it is an endorsement of his no residual forces plan for Iraq. It is an endorsement of his leadership on the issue. It is an endorsement of the need for a public debate on how many troops Democrats plan to leave in Iraq, what those troops will do, and how long they will stay in Iraq. Every Democrat should be aware of all candidate plans for residual forces in Iraq before they decide who to support in the primaries.

Just because a candidate says he or she will end American military involvement in the war in Iraq does not mean that he or she is actually proposing to end American military involvement in the war in Iraq.