Richardson, out

Bill Richardson will apparently announce today that he's done running. A few hours before the news came, Jason Zengerle called it Richardson's "Golden Opportunity," and suggested that Richardson's departure right now could help Clinton in Nevada and therefore help his chances of being the VP. It's an interesting theory and should be given a second look now that he has taken Zengerle's advice.

But Richardson's departure didn't have me thinking of conspiracy theories, but about how strong this group of Democrats was. In the last week, Dodd, Biden and Richardson all dropped out. I'm not the first to say this, but it's worth taking another moment to recognize that without Clinton, Obama and Edwards, the Democratic field would still be an incredible group of politicians. In fact, Clinton, Obama and Edwards are great politicians. Dodd, Biden and Richardson are great civil servants. The race was helped by their presence, and I assume that no matter who wins this thing, all three of them will have a seat at the table.