Leading by Example (eBook)

Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM) has served as Secretary of Energy and Ambassador to the United Nations. Now, as the only candidate with executive and foreign policy experience, he presents an action program to sharply reduce America's oil dependence, build foreign policy on our principles instead of our addictions, and lead the world with energy and climate solutions that might just save millions of American jobs—and the planet.

Introduction.1. No Challenge Is Greater or More Important.2. 1997–2007: Then and Now.3. Oil, Coal, and the Planet’s Future.4. A Confused World, an Opportunity to Lead.5. Learning from Others.6. The Costs of Action, the Price of Inaction.7. Government Must Play a Role.8. Using the Bully Pulpit: The Power of the Energy President.9. Facing Reality.10. 2020 Vision: An Energy Revolution, in Five Simple Steps.Acknowledgments.Further Reading.Index.

"In his writing, he clearly demonstrates his knowledge of and familiarity with energy politics." (The Boston Globe, January 6, 2008)"In a book that is easy to read for people not well versed with energy issues, his laid-back yet direct personality shines through the book..." (MSNBC.com, November 16, 2007)Coinciding with Governor Richardson's campaign for the Democratic Party nomination for president, his proposals for reducing our dependence on foreign oil is substantial, despite their transparent vote-getting tenor. Drawing on his 15 years in the U.S. Congress, as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and as energy secretary in the Clinton administration, as well as his New Mexico governorship, Richardson provides useful insights into the resistance of powerful entities such as the automobile industry, coal industry and, of course, the oil industry to alternative energy sources. Writing in a folksy style, with personal anecdotes that leaven his wonkishness, Richardson is not shy about trumpeting the breadth and depth of his experience; at times he's almost insufferable, but his battles with those who care more about quick profit than about clean air, clean water and energy-related national security suggest he has earned the right to say, "I told you so." Richardson is critical of Republicans, including George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, yet manages to lift portions of the book above partisan politics. Knowing that Congress will often be inhibited by powerful special interests, Richardson would use the bully pulpit of the White House to initiate change, hoping, for example, that calling for automakers to produce plug-in electric cars will drive private markets to do right by the environment. (Nov.) (Publishers Weekly, September 3, 2007)