Half a year ago, in khakis and blazer, looking cool and speaking the language of the common man, he was charming the socks off a Nevada organized-labor forum.

Since then, he's had few moments that good. After so-so showings and missed opportunities in later appearances with Democrats seeking their party's nomination, Richardson, by his own admission, "screwed up" at last week's gay-rights forum by blurting out that homosexuality is a "choice."

The booing was brief, if bitter; Richardson, after all, has a good gay-rights record, the occasionally macho crack in Spanish or English to the contrary. But in backing from that bit about choice, he was reduced to babbling in a satellite-radio interview that "I'm for gays having relationships with undocumented workers, and I've always felt that way."

His mind, clearly, was somewhere else. No explanations, please.

Will such sappiness hurt him? Maybe not much -- for now, anyway. He's trailing, but gaining on, the three leading Democrats: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards. His best chance for the nomination is catching Edwards, which there's a chance he can do -- then hope that the two front-runners falter, which isn't impossible.

If Bill becomes a threat to those three, they could throw the gay-rights goofs at him. But in this era of glass-house candidates, who's going to throw the first stone? Especially when Richardson is leading polls as the most sincere -- and the least mean?

Back to Nevada, where a Richardson campaign director out in Elko was formerly a bookkeeper for a brothel -- albeit a legal one -- and is presently on the lam from Los Angeles on felony check-kiting charges.

As was the case with the occasionally bad gubernatorial appointee, Bill lost little time getting rid of the guy. So in spite of a few moments' embarrassment, the incident might highlight his quick-resolution capabilities.

'Course, as was the case with some of his fast-hired, fast-fired state officials, folks might wonder who's checking whose backgrounds. What we're seeing lately is some mid-campaign slippage.

Some of it might be remedied during the many long flights he takes by:

? Catching up on a bit of sleep, or at least resting some of the time, and

? Using the rest of the time to focus on his next appearance, and how to "stay on message" the entire time.

While he maintains his breakneck pace as national candidate and state governor, Richardson must pay more attention to people he pays to whisper in his ear: Bill, don't be so glib; try to look thoughtful, and while you're at it, be actually thinking about how you're going to answer the question at hand.

As one of our nation's leading diplomats-without-portfolio, the governor surely mulls over every word he exchanges with heads of state, many of them rogues of the slyest variety.

Life in the fast lane of presidential politics is no less fraught with perils of slipping. More concentration, not more off-the-cuff comments, is what he needs.