Gregg Segal

I grew a beard as a rebellion against those consultants who told me I had to comb my hair, shave, lose weight. I said, You know, I'm gonna do what I want now. That was a good feeling.

I named my horse after Toby Keith because I really like the guy. Genuine — that's Toby Keith. One of the great things about him is that during dinner he'll start singing a song. Right there. Not to perform, but to tell you what he was feeling the particular day that he wrote it.

As I'm chatting with Obama, the moderator says, "Governor Richardson, what do you think of that?" And I look at him like a deer in the headlights. I was about to say that I hadn't heard, when Obama puts his hand over his mouth and says, "Katrina." So I gave my four-point plan on Katrina. When I was done and the debate moved on, I looked over and said, "Thanks, you're okay." He said, "Nothing to it, brother."

My mother used to insist that I go to confession almost every day when I was a kid. I'd say, "This is absurd! Let's do it every three days. Give me time to sin!"

New Mexicans have better imaginations than anybody. My point on UFOs is, I don't know if they're fact or fiction. But it's fun. It's Americana. Why shut down dreams? And Dennis Kucinich said he'd actually seen one.

Artists have said that New Mexico's biggest asset is the color of the mornings and evenings. It spurs creativity.

One time when I was a congressman, in the House gym, I was talking to one of the towel attendants. I said, "Kenny, how you doin'?" He said, "You know, I feel really good today." I asked why, and he showed me a note that President Bush had sent him. The note really connected with Kenny, and it showed a certain class by George Bush the first.

Every elegant man should have a nice fountain pen and a nice watch.

The moment that Barack takes the oath of office will be a signal to the world that America is back and ready to lead again.

Saddam had these small, black eyes. I started giving him my spiel, which was, "I want you to release these Americans as a humanitarian gesture, Mr. President." I was very respectful. Then I made a terrible mistake: I was so tired, I crossed my legs and showed him the sole of my shoe. Saddam got up and left. I thought I was toast. "Is he coming back?" I asked. "He'll be back, but you must apologize for insulting an Arab with the supreme insult." I decided not to apologize — maybe he was playing a psychological game with me. He came back and I just continued making my point. His eyes got bigger and then his mouth started moving into a smile.

I had gotten three Red Cross leaders freed ten years earlier. So I had a plus in my good relations with Bashir, the Sudanese leader, when I went back to ask for the release of Paul Salopek, the Chicago Tribune correspondent. Bashir remembered that I had treated him with respect. He released Salopek. Then I said, "But you've gotta give me the two Africans you've got." He said, "No, the Africans are from Chad. That's an enemy country." I said, "I can't go back with one white guy and not any black guys." Bashir laughed, really laughed, and that's how we got them out.

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