Richardson Endorses ... Obama?

Fri, March 21, 2008 - 7:28 AM

When Bill Richardson announced a longshot bid for the presidency, it was widely assumed that he was only running to boost his national profile in hopes of becoming vice president or, perhaps, secretary of state under Hillary Clinton. The world-travelling former congressman and current governor of New Mexico was a longtime ally of the Clintons, serving in Bill Clinton's cabinet.

He denied that his run was for anything but the top job, of course. But few bought it. This clip from Saturday Night Live back in October, when Clinton seemed a lock for the Democratic nomination, captures the skepticism. (Fast forward to 33 seconds for the start of the clip).



In case you can't watch YouTube at work, here's part of the sketch transcript. The scene: a Halloween party attended by the Democratic presidential candidates.

Bill Richardson (Horatio Sanz): Hillary. Bill.

Bill Clinton (Darrell Hammond): Who are you supposed to be, Bill?

Bill Richardson: [ deepens his voice ] I'm Al Gore! [ laughs ] I've got the Nobel Prize.. this Oscar..

Hillary Clinton (Amy Poehler): That's great, Bill!

Bill Richardson: Yeah! [ chuckles ] I know! Me, dressed as Vice-President. [ laughs ] It's we-eird! Not that weird, though, right? [ laughs ]

Hillary Clinton: You look great.

Bill Richardson: Yeah. So, hey, uh -- can I help out at all?

Hillary Clinton: Actually, we could use some ice.

Bill Richardson: I'm on it! [ he runs off ]

Hillary Clinton: Okay.

Bill Clinton: That man really does want to be your Vice-President.

So, it was notable that Richardson abandoned the Clintons and officially endorsed Barack Obama today, calling him a "once-in-a-lifetime" leader. It's not completely surprising, though. Though Obama has been hit with several negative news cycles concerning comments made by his former pastor, his path to the nomination is much stronger than Clinton's. That became even more true this week when her campaign's push for revotes in Michigan and Florida failed.

If Richardson really wants to be VP or secretary of state, siding with Obama is more likely to get him there.

--Sean Mussenden