I watched the debate, even played along on Facebook. I've read the papers, and I've watched the blogs. So, I wonder, did America see what I saw from Governor Richardson last night?

I know that some saw a refreshing levity when it was needed most. The media have played this quip more than any other Richardson quote to date. Great, FINALLY some press coverage! America saw Bill Richardson's smile, his sense of humor, and his reaction to an uncomfortable situation, but did they also see the way his diplomatic finesse resolved the rather tactless decision of Edwards and Obama to gang up on Clinton in order to differentiate themselves? I saw Governor Richardson's leadership in action to bring people back together, but I wonder, did America see what I saw?

I know that others saw a comment about the Soviet Union that seemed out of context. Some have said it betrays a lack of understanding of today's world, others have spun it as a statement in the past tense, still others have just said that he must have been tired. But did America see Governor Richardson's seasoned commitment as an international leader to actually enhance America's security by working with the Russians to reduce our nuclear arsenals? Did America see what I saw?

I know others saw the Governor touting his resume once again, asking whether "experience" no longer mattered, or had become some sort of "leper" in this campaign. Some perhaps saw this as the Governor trying to get the debate back on his record, and his agenda. Others perhaps saw this as an attempt to derail the Obama express and it's promise of "hope." But I saw a man who honestly wants to serve America, rather than someone who looks to America to serve his or her visions, and I saw a man frustrated that those on stage with him could no longer see the wisdom of listening to the American people, rather than telling the American people what it is they need. I saw a man whose long and distinguished political experience has taught him how valuable listening can be, but did America see what I saw?

I know America saw a man who asserts that diplomacy is the first response to any difficult situation, and I know that in the post-9/11 context many Americans find such statements to be naive or dangerous. Yet despite these prevailing sentiments, I saw a man who was willing to say, once again, that principles and human rights, not brute force, should be the foundations of our foreign policy, and that these are the foundations that make us the leader in the "free" world, not the fact that we have the world's strongest military. I saw a man who remembers the "truths" Thomas Jefferson offered to us as "self-evident," and who is not afraid to stand by them, but did America see what I saw?

And then, after all of this, I saw a man who knows his campaign is on the line, and who knows that any mistake could be the last mistake, and yet this same man stepped forward to be the first (and really only Democratic candidate) to admit that, yes, he had made some mistakes in this campaign. Richardson admitted that he hadn't been quite right to enthuse about his favorite Supreme Court Justice, and then proceeded to explain how he made the mistake, and how he came to realize his error. That's really three admissions, and three strikes in the political arena, but I saw a man who remembered a fundamental assumption about the Presidency, embedded in Article I of our Constitution, and in the rhetoric of other great Americans like Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry. I saw a man who understands that the office of President of the United States is a very human office, and that only a very human being is deserving of it. I saw that man in Governor Bill Richardson last night, but I wonder, did America see what I saw?