N.M. Gov. Richardson backs Obama's WHouse bid
By Matthew Bigg
PORTLAND, Oregon, March 21 (Reuters) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson on Friday endorsed Barack Obama's bid for the Democratic nomination for U.S. president, handing the Illinois senator a potential boost among Hispanic voters.
Richardson's endorsement posed a personal blow to Obama's rival Hillary Clinton, who also fiercely sought his backing in part because as a Hispanic he is seen as influential within the Latino community, likely a key voting bloc in the November presidential election.
Also on Friday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she called Obama to apologize for the unauthorized access to his passport file taken by some department contract workers, two of whom were fired over the incident.
"I told him that I was sorry and I told him that I myself would be very disturbed if I learned that somebody had looked into my passport file," Rice told reporters at the start of a meeting with Brazil's defense minister. She said an investigation was being done through the Justice Department.
Obama and Clinton, a New York senator, are locked in a tight race for the Democratic presidential nomination to take on presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.
Hispanics, the fastest-growing segment of the electorate, largely backed Clinton in nominating contests on "Super Tuesday," with exit polls showing her winning two-thirds of the Latino vote in several states.
Richardson, 60, was energy secretary and U.N. ambassador in the administration of her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and his support had been courted by both Clintons.
"Barack 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, who had made his own run for the Democratic nomination, said in a statement.
In his statement endorsing Obama, Richardson urged the party to rally behind one candidate, and said "it is now time for a new generation of leadership to lead America."
While saying his "affection and admiration for Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton will never waver," Richardson said it was time "for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and to prepare for the tough fight we will face against John McCain in the fall."
A skilled negotiator and diplomat, the popular governor has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate or secretary of state in a Democratic administration. He also is a superdelegate who would have a vote in the nominating contest if neither Obama nor Clinton win enough delegates during the primaries.
BRIDGING DIVIDES
Richardson praised a speech Obama made earlier in the week on bridging divides between blacks and whites, and extended that speech's message to appeal to Hispanic immigrants.
"As a Hispanic, I was particularly touched by his words. I have been troubled by the demonization of immigrants -- specifically Hispanics -- by too many in this country," Richardson said.
He said Obama's speech "asked us to rise above our racially divided past, and to seize the opportunity to carry forward the work of many patriots of all races, who struggled and died to bring us together."
Obama gave that speech in response to a political firestorm ignited when news outlets called attention to sermons by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright at a Chicago church that the Illinois senator attended for two decades.
Wright, who retired recently, has railed that the Sept. 11 attacks were retribution for U.S. foreign policy, called the government the source of the AIDS virus and expressed anger over what he called racist America.
Obama and Clinton both have been seeking high-profile endorsements as a way to bolster their campaigns. Both have also actively courted former presidential candidate John Edwards, a former North Carolina senator. Edwards has yet to endorse either candidate.
Obama is due to hold a rally in Portland, Oregon, on Friday at 9:35 a.m. local time (1635 GMT), his campaign said. He will then spend the rest of the day campaigning in the state, which holds a primary on May 20.
(Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed, editing by Jackie Frank)
(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)
PORTLAND, Oregon, March 21 (Reuters) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson on Friday endorsed Barack Obama's bid for the Democratic nomination for U.S. president, handing the Illinois senator a potential boost among Hispanic voters.
Richardson's endorsement posed a personal blow to Obama's rival Hillary Clinton, who also fiercely sought his backing in part because as a Hispanic he is seen as influential within the Latino community, likely a key voting bloc in the November presidential election.
Also on Friday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she called Obama to apologize for the unauthorized access to his passport file taken by some department contract workers, two of whom were fired over the incident.
"I told him that I was sorry and I told him that I myself would be very disturbed if I learned that somebody had looked into my passport file," Rice told reporters at the start of a meeting with Brazil's defense minister. She said an investigation was being done through the Justice Department.
Obama and Clinton, a New York senator, are locked in a tight race for the Democratic presidential nomination to take on presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.
Hispanics, the fastest-growing segment of the electorate, largely backed Clinton in nominating contests on "Super Tuesday," with exit polls showing her winning two-thirds of the Latino vote in several states.
Richardson, 60, was energy secretary and U.N. ambassador in the administration of her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and his support had been courted by both Clintons.
"Barack 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, who had made his own run for the Democratic nomination, said in a statement.
In his statement endorsing Obama, Richardson urged the party to rally behind one candidate, and said "it is now time for a new generation of leadership to lead America."
While saying his "affection and admiration for Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton will never waver," Richardson said it was time "for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and to prepare for the tough fight we will face against John McCain in the fall."
A skilled negotiator and diplomat, the popular governor has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate or secretary of state in a Democratic administration. He also is a superdelegate who would have a vote in the nominating contest if neither Obama nor Clinton win enough delegates during the primaries.
BRIDGING DIVIDES
Richardson praised a speech Obama made earlier in the week on bridging divides between blacks and whites, and extended that speech's message to appeal to Hispanic immigrants.
"As a Hispanic, I was particularly touched by his words. I have been troubled by the demonization of immigrants -- specifically Hispanics -- by too many in this country," Richardson said.
He said Obama's speech "asked us to rise above our racially divided past, and to seize the opportunity to carry forward the work of many patriots of all races, who struggled and died to bring us together."
Obama gave that speech in response to a political firestorm ignited when news outlets called attention to sermons by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright at a Chicago church that the Illinois senator attended for two decades.
Wright, who retired recently, has railed that the Sept. 11 attacks were retribution for U.S. foreign policy, called the government the source of the AIDS virus and expressed anger over what he called racist America.
Obama and Clinton both have been seeking high-profile endorsements as a way to bolster their campaigns. Both have also actively courted former presidential candidate John Edwards, a former North Carolina senator. Edwards has yet to endorse either candidate.
Obama is due to hold a rally in Portland, Oregon, on Friday at 9:35 a.m. local time (1635 GMT), his campaign said. He will then spend the rest of the day campaigning in the state, which holds a primary on May 20.
(Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed, editing by Jackie Frank)
(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)
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