If he didn’t remember it, he will now – I’m sure that video will make the rounds.

I’m not a huge Byrd fan, but he’s not nearly at the level of odiousness as some members of his party, and while he can be egotistical and self-important, he does make some good points.

Whether he’ll stick to it remains to be seen. Personally, I’m not exactly sure what the responsibilities of the Commerce Department are – it doesn’t strike me as the kind of place where Richardson could make another error that would have such serious ramifications. I mean, what info comes out of Commerce that a Chinese spy would even want? So, in the end, maybe Richardson’s past won’t be disqualifying for such a fluff post. My guess is that Byrd would be tougher on this if Richardson were being nominated to a “sensitive” position.

The bigger question is actually whether the old Los Alamos thing will even come up in the general media or his confirmation hearings at all. My guess is that they will be swept under the rug. And unfortunately I don’t think the general public really understands what happened or what Richardson did (or didn’t) do – so will it even get any traction. Hopefully, one of the Republicans on the committee conducting his hearings will ask him about it, or at least bring it up.