Richardson To The Rescue?

Last week we told you about the saga of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Paul Salopek, who is being held by the Sudanese government on espionage charges after allegedly trying to enter the Darfur region of the country illegally. Now comes word that help is on the way – sort of. According to this AP article (hat tip: Media Bistro) New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is putting his international diplomatic skills to work:

The governor plans to meet with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and ask for the release of Salopek, his driver and interpreter.

Salopek's wife, Linda, and Chicago Tribune Editor Ann Marie Lipinski will accompany Richardson on the trip to Khartoum, said Pahl Shipley, a spokesman for the governor. Salopek's wife and Lipinski had asked for Richardson's help.

"I will encourage President al-Bashir to recognize the essential role of journalists and a free press and release Paul and his colleagues on humanitarian grounds," Richardson said in a statement on Wednesday.

Richardson, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Cabinet Secretary for the Clinton administration has been involved in many high-profile diplomatic negotiations in the past, most notably involving North Korea. And he aided in getting the release of three Red Cross workers held in Sudan in 1996. The governor is also one of the many politicians mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2008. Could Richardson be earning a little good will among the press with this rescue mission? Actually, it turns out Salopek lives in New Mexico, making Richardson's trip even more understandable -- and making us look all the more cynical.