Longtime Clinton ally goes with Obama

PORTLAND — "I talked to Sen. Clinton last night," New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said Friday, describing the tense phone call in which he informed Hillary Rodham Clinton that he would endorse Barack Obama for president. "Let me tell you: We've had better conversations."

The decision by Richardson to support Obama was bad news for Clinton, D-N.Y. It was a stinging rejection of her candidacy by a man who held two senior positions in Bill Clinton's White House and who is one of the nation's most prominent elected Hispanics.

Potentially more troublesome for Sen. Clinton than Richardson's decision was what he said in announcing it. He criticized the tenor of her campaign. He praised Obama for the speech he gave in response to the furor over remarks delivered by Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

And he came close to doing what Clinton's advisers have increasingly feared some big-name Democrat would do: urge Clinton to step aside in the interest of party unity.

As he campaigned with the Illinois senator in Portland, ahead of the state's May 20 primary, Richardson called Obama "a once-in-a-lifetime leader."

Along with such praise, Richardson advanced the argument the Obama campaign is trying to make to Democrats in its drive to wrap up the party's presidential nomination in relatively short order.

"It is time ... for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and prepare for the tough fight we will have against [presumed Republican nominee] John McCain in the fall," said Richardson, who had been wooed by both campaigns since he dropped his presidential bid after the New Hampshire primary in early January.

"That's a very powerful message," said veteran Democratic strategist Bill Carrick, who is not supporting either Obama or Clinton. "We're getting into the end game here ... and people are watching to see what Obama can do to close down the process."

Later, Richardson said, "I'm not going to advise any other candidate when to get in and out of the race. Sen. Clinton has a right to stay in the race, but eventually we don't want to go into the Democratic convention bloodied. This was another reason for my getting in and endorsing, the need to perhaps send a message that we need unity."

Richardson called Obama about two weeks ago to tell him he was "99 percent with him," Obama's aides said. The announcement was delayed because Richardson had been scheduled to go on vacation in the Caribbean.

Obama's aides said they grew worried Richardson would back down after the controversy over disclosures that Obama's former pastor had made racially inflammatory remarks.

But Richardson, who had sought to become the nation's first Hispanic president, pointed specifically to the speech Obama gave in explaining why he endorsed him.

"Sen. Barack Obama addressed the issue of race with the eloquence and sincerity and decency and optimism we have come to expect of him. He did not seek to evade tough issues or to soothe us with comforting half-truths," Richardson said. "Rather, he inspired us by reminding us of the awesome potential residing in our own responsibility."

Richardson said he was dispirited by the tone of the campaign, reflecting a sentiment that has been increasingly voiced by Democratic leaders.

"I believe the campaign has gotten too negative; I want it to be positive," Richardson said, speaking to reporters. "I think that's what's been very good about Sen. Obama's campaign; it's a positive campaign about hope and opportunity."

In many ways, the decision by Richardson — one of a handful of Democratic leaders whose endorsement is front-page-caliber news — was as much a tale about the Clintons and their longtime political ally from New Mexico as it was about the course of Obama's presidential campaign.

Bill Clinton had told his wife's campaign he had received several assurances from Richardson that the governor would not endorse Obama. One adviser who spoke to Bill Clinton on Friday said the former president was surprised by the Richardson endorsement but described him as more philosophical than angry about it.

Richardson looked anguished when asked in an interview if his relationship with the Clintons would withstand this. In endorsing Obama, Richardson was not only taking sides in the most bitter of political fights, but rejecting the candidacy of a close friend.

"There's something special, there's something special about this guy," Richardson said of Obama. "I've been trying to figure it out, but it's very good."

Bill Clinton helped elevate Richardson to the national stage: He named him his energy secretary and U.N. ambassador. And Clinton left no doubt about how importantly he viewed Richardson's support for his wife's campaign: He flew to New Mexico to sit down with Richardson and watch the Super Bowl as part of the very high-profile courtship of Richardson.

But Richardson stopped returning Bill Clinton's telephone calls days ago, the former president's aides said. And as of Friday, Richardson said, he had yet to pick up the telephone to call his former boss to tell him of his decision.

The reaction of some of Bill Clinton's allies suggests that might have been a wise decision. "An act of betrayal," said James Carville, an adviser to Hillary Clinton and friend of Bill Clinton.

Richardson said he called Sen. Clinton late Thursday to say he would be appearing with Obama on Friday to lend his support.

"I've had better conversations," Richardson said. "It was cordial, but a little heated."

Sen. Clinton had no public schedule Friday and spent the day at her home in Chappaqua, N.Y. Her chief strategist, Mark Penn, downplayed the importance of the endorsement, suggesting the time "when it could have been effective has long since passed."

On their own, endorsements in contests with two such well-known candidates do not necessarily move any votes. Obama won a boost of publicity after he was endorsed by Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts; Clinton subsequently won the Massachusetts primary.

But the audience now is less primary voters than superdelegates, whose votes will be critical in helping either Clinton or Obama get the 2,024 delegates needed to win the nomination. Richardson is the 62nd superdelegate to endorse Obama since Feb. 5, compared with fewer than five who have moved into Clinton's column since then.

The move by Richardson could give license to other superdelegates who had been holding back at the request of the Clintons. His endorsement could prove potent with this group because of the way he chastised Clinton for the tone of her campaign, his call for the party to unify around one candidate.

The number of Democrats whose endorsements could shake the race is dwindling: former Vice President Al Gore; former Sen. John Edwards, who left the race in February; and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Aides to Edwards and Gore said they did not expect either man to make a move in the immediate future, if at all.

New York Times reporter Patrick Healy contributed to this report, which includes material from the Los Angeles Times.