Big Bill and the I-man: Wondering how Gov. Bill Richardson feels about his controversial old on-again-off-again friend Don Imus returning to the radio? Perhaps that subject will be addressed this morning when Richardson appears on the new Imus show.

Imus was fired earlier this year by CBS radio and MSNBC, which simulcast the show on television, for referring to the Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos." Imus negotiated a new contract with WABC radio in New York. The show premiered Monday.

Richardson won't be the first presidential candidate to appear on the New Imus show. Republican John McCain and Democrat Chris Dodd were interviewed by Imus on Monday.

Before the Rutgers controversy, Imus — who operates a ranch in Ribera for children with serious diseases — and the governor had a public falling out over state funding to convert an old school in Ribera into a community center. When he felt Richardson wasn't acting quickly enough to secure the funds, Imus, on his radio program, called the governor a "fat sissy" and said disparaging things about Richardson's staff. However, when the Legislature approved the money, Imus endorsed Richardson for
president.

The Associated Press reported only 17 stations belonging to the Citadel company carry the show at this point. KKOB, a Citadel station in Albuquerque, does not list the Imus show among its programs.

The new Imus show also is simulcast on RFD-TV, which is available locally on Dish Network and Direct-TV satellite systems. Richardson is scheduled to appear at 5:30 a.m. MDT.

Word from the West Wing: A former president has endorsed Richardson's presidential bid.

Actor Martin Sheen, who portrayed the fictional President Jed Bartlett in the NBC dramatic series The West Wing, told Between the Lines, a weekly gay Michigan newspaper, that he's backing Richardson for the real White House.

"I have been supporting him, doing a fundraiser for him in Los Angeles, just some very low-key stuff," Sheen said.

"New Mexico is one of the poorest, if not the poorest, states in the nation, and he has just had tremendous success there," Sheen said. "And I admire his work for (Bill) Clinton."

The interview with Sheen will be available online Thursday at www.Pridesource.com. A news story about the interview can be found here.

Electric endorsement: In Las Vegas, Nev., which is known for its bright lights, the local electricians gave Richardson a glowing endorsement.

Charlie Randall, business manager for Local 396 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said in a news release, "Bill Richardson's record on labor issues may be better than any other Presidential candidate, but his commitment to seeing our members face-to-face made this endorsement an easy decision. We have been through some tough negotiations recently, and our members want a President who does not just say the right things, but one who will show up and stand with us."

The union represents 2,400 electrical workers in the Las Vegas area.

A fine retail politician: Richardson was the subject of an editorial assessing his candidacy in the conservative Washington Times. Much of the editorial is a struggle to define Richardson's political philosophy.

Calling Richardson "indisputably a man of presence and a fine retail politician," the Times disputes a characterization of Richardson as a "libertarian Democrat," writing, "He is more accurately called an unorthodox left-wing populist, one with a weathervane's sense for the political headwinds."

Says the editorial, "Mr. Richardson is a pro-gun-rights, pro-choice, tax-cutting, global-warming foe who also supports the death penalty, but who backs the Bush-Kennedy amnesty for illegal aliens and occasionally sounds like a border hawk." (Richardson denies he's for "amnesty" but backs a plan to allow undocumented residents to earn citizenship.)