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A legendary litmus test

Gov. Bill Richardson late last week broke one of the cardinal rules of presidential politics by boldly stating he would ask potential Supreme Court nominees if they supported Roe v. Wade.

Presidents typically say they don't ask potential justices about their views on specific cases - especially the ruling that granted women the right to an abortion - but Richardson said late last week he would make an exception for the landmark 1973 case, which legalized abortion.

"I know I am going to upset some people, but this is what I would ask them," Richardson said. "I would say, `Do you believe that Roe v. Wade is settled law?' If they say yes, they have a good chance of being picked. If they say no, I will not pick them."

Richardson said he'd also ask if they support civil rights and rights to privacy and said he'd shut down Guantanamo and restore habeas corpus.

Oh, and he called people in D.C. who support Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards "the smarty-pants set."

Grab your scorecard and see how this plays out on the field.

Don't go too far

During an appearance Saturday in Nashville, Tenn., Richardson got his biggest applause by praising former Vice President and rumored prez candidate Al Gore.

After the lengthy applause died down, Richardson said: "Let's not overdo it. I don't want him in this race!"

Money, money, money

According to the Washington Post, Richardson has told other Dems that he's out-raised John Edwards in the latest money-hunt quarter. That led Jonathan Singer at the "MyDD" blog (My Direct Democracy) to predict Richardson could turn the two-tier race into a three-tier race, with Clinton and Obama in the first, Edwards and Richardson in the second and everyone else far, far below.