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Posted: October 12, 2007 5:55 PM
Richardson Would Scrap No Child Left Behind
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New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson pledged to end the No Child Left Behind education program at a campaign stop in Manchester, N.H. on Thursday, and said he would use defense spending cuts to increase investment in education by about $60 billion.

“Some say fix it; others say tweak it; Sen. Hillary Clinton says reform it. I also have two words for No Child Left Behind: Scrap it,” Richardson said.

As he continues his tough talk on ending the war and pulling all troops out, Richardson has lost at least one key supporter in South Carolina because of his rhetoric, reports the Nation.

South Carolina State Rep. Fletcher Smith, the former co-chair of Richardson’s South Carolina campaign, defected to support Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., saying “We do not need a Vietnam-style evacuation.”

Meanwhile, Richardson’s support in Iowa continues to be a topic of cautious optimism within his campaign.

“I think as he gains in prominence, particularly if he breaks out of Iowa as one of the two or three candidates who have momentum and have a real chance at the nomination, I think our support in the Latino community will grow dramatically,” Richardson’s campaign pollster Paul Maslin told CBS News.

Richardson himself is also optimistic of his chances, telling the New York Times
that many Iowans are still looking for their candidates.

“I believe that Edwards’s insurmountable lead has eroded. We’re the only candidate moving up, gradually and slowly moving up,” Richardson said. “We are exactly where we want to be, and my objective is to be one of the top three.”

On ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos Richardson again called for de-authorization of the war, while The Baltimore Sun referenced some media appearances in 2003 where he said he would have voted to authorize the war had he been a member of Congress at the time. Richardson has claimed during his campaign that he would have not have voted to authorize the war and would have voted instead for the use of diplomacy.

He is in New Hampshire Friday for campaign appearances, and will be in Las Vegas over the weekend for the Hispanic Day Parade and to meet with food industry union members. He will be back in New Mexico next week.