Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson says the war in Iraq should remain the top issue in the presidential election.
At a campaign stop in Mount Vernon today, Richardson said ending the war is the "lynchpin for restoring the American dream." Richardson criticized other candidates for starting to emphasize domestic issues and Richardson also criticized the news media for shifting focus away from the war.
"Perhaps they think that because fewer of our troops have died lately that Americans don’t care anymore. Well, we do," Richardson said, his voice rising as he added, "and I dare the media to tell the families of the 37 troops who were killed last month that this issue doesn’t deserve front-page coverage."
Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, has promised that if he’s elected president, he’ll withdraw all American troops from Iraq.