I'm being totally sincere when I say this is some of the most pleasing news I've heard all campaign. I have a lot of respect for Bill Richardson, and I'd like to see him as Obama's vice president.
CNN has the story.
Quote:
(CNN) -- Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico plans to endorse Sen. Barack Obama in the Democratic race for president Friday, an Obama campaign spokesperson told CNN.
Richardson plans to join Obama at a rally in Portland, Oregon, at 12:30 p.m. ET Friday.
In an e-mail to supporters, Richardson said Obama will be a "historic and a great president, who can bring us the change we so desperately need by bringing us together as a nation here at home and with our allies abroad."
Richardson also said in the e-mail that he was touched by Obama's recent speech on race in America, saying he "understands clearly that only by bringing people together, only by bridging our differences can we all succeed together as Americans."
Richardson is the nation's only Hispanic governor. Hispanics have tended to support Obama's rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
But Richardson's endorsement will have an impact beyond Latino voters, CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley said.
"This is an endorsement that may help with the Latino voting bloc around the edges, but if that were Richardson's target he would have done this before the New Mexico and Texas contests, both of which Obama narrowly lost, largely due to the Latino vote," Crowley said. "So this is a larger message to superdelegates, those elected officials and party officials who in the end may well decide who the nominee will be."
Richardson said the country is blessed to have two great American leaders and great Democrats running for president.
"My affection and admiration for Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton will never waver," Richardson wrote in his e-mail. "It is time, however, for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and to prepare for the tough fight we will face against John McCain in the fall."
Richardson, who served as United Nations ambassador and energy secretary in the Clinton administration, dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination on January 10.
He drew 5 percent of the vote in the New Hampshire primary and 2 percent of the vote in the Iowa caucuses.
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So what do you think? Will this make a difference? Obama/Richardson '08?
Oh, and based on CNN's current homepage picture, it looks like Richardson has pulled an Al Gore and grew a beard after losing a presidential race
