A NEW MEXICO EXCLUSIVE!

THIS WEEK: BILL RICHARDSON

Former Two-Term Governor of New Mexico

Former U.S. Ambassador To The United Nations

Former Secretary of The Department of Energy

Author: “How to Sweet Talk a Shark: Strategies and Stories from a Master Negotiator”

This week's guest on "Report from Santa Fe" is former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson discussing his new book “How to Sweet Talk a Shark: Strategies and Stories from a Master Negotiator.” Bill Richardson has indicated that this is the only interview he will be doing in New Mexico.

Bill Richardson is a former two-term governor of New Mexico, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and former secretary of the Department of Energy. He spent 15 years in Congress and has successfully won the release of hostages, American servicemen, and prisoners, in North Korea, Iraq, Cuba, and Sudan.

In “How to Sweet Talk a Shark,” Richardson reveals strategies and stories from his negotiations with such dictators as Iraq's Saddam Hussein, Cuba's Fidel Castro, and North Korea's Kim Jong-il. He outlines “Richardson's Rules” for successful negotiating, and shows how individuals can use these rules in everyday life - negotiating with the power brokers, the dealmakers, and the hungry sharks in their own lives.

In a fascinating birds-eye view of recent national events, Richardson candidly describes some of the most challenging moments of his career: a look at the different negotiating tactics the Clintons and Obama used when approaching Richardson for his presidential endorsement (and why he ultimately chose Obama); why Saddam Hussein stormed out of a negotiation with Richardson; and how the death by measles of a warlord's 2-year-old daughter served as a negotiating platform for the release of captured Red Cross workers in Sudan.

Quotes:

“As a fellow governor- and from nearly 40 years in Hollywood- I know how hard negotiating can be. If Bill Richardson offers to share his strategies, don't pass up that deal.”

-- Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I've seen Bill Richardson in action, and he has a remarkable instinct for getting deals done. He's also a great storyteller and “How to Sweet-Talk a Shark” should become a classic.”

-- Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of GOOGLE 

“The true value in what Bill Richardson knows about negotiating is that he learned it all in the world's craziest places, up against the world's most unpredictable people. Grab a chair and soak it all in.” -- Sean Hannity