Richardson Decries Campaign's Negativity

New Mexico Governor Calls For Party To Come Together In Face Of Criticism From Clinton Camp For Endorsing Obama

(CBS/AP)  In the face of criticism from the Clinton camp over his endorsement of Barack Obama, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is calling on the party to come together.

"Instead of talking about the war and the economy, it seems that the candidates are bickering," Richardson said CBS News' The Early Show. "They're getting personal. The campaign's gotten very negative."

After the endorsement on Friday, James Carville, a friend and adviser to the Clintons, called the endorsement "an act of betrayal" in an interview with the New York Times.

Richardson, a former Democratic presidential candidate, was twice appointed to cabinet-level posts in the Clinton administration.

"Mr. Richardson’s endorsement came right around the anniversary of the day when Judas sold out for 30 pieces of silver, so I think the timing is appropriate, if ironic," Carville said.

Richardson tried to deflect the criticism in his interview with Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith.

"I'm not going to get in the gutter," Richardson told. "I have a long association with the Clintons. They were very good to me. I was good to them. I served honorably in their Cabinet. But, you know, it shouldn't be about personal ties or loyalties."

"I think it's about the country, and I think Barack Obama is somebody that can bring the country together, a new generation of leadership," he added.

Meanwhile, there was a brewing controversy over comments made by a retired general and Obama supporter which seemed to equate comments by Bill Clinton to McCarthyism.

In Charlotte, N.C., last Friday and speculating about a general election matchup pitting Hillary Clinton against Republican John McCain, Bill Clinton told a group of veterans: "I think it would be a great thing if we had an election year where you had two people who loved this country and were devoted to the interest of this country. And people could actually ask themselves who is right on these issues, instead of all this other stuff that always seems to intrude itself on our politics."

Retired Gen. Merrill "Tony" McPeak, a co-chairman of Obama's campaign, took offense and accused Clinton of being divisive and trying to question Obama's patriotism. Standing with Obama at a campaign stop in southern Oregon, McPeak repeated Bill Clinton's comments for the audience, then said:

"As one who for 37 years proudly wore the uniform of our country, I'm saddened to see a president employ these tactics. He of all people should know better because he was the target of exactly the same kind of tactics."

That was an apparent reference to Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign, when he was accused of dodging the Vietnam War draft.

McPeak also made off-the-cuff remarks to reporters Friday in comparing the former president's comments with the actions of Joseph McCarthy, the 1950s communist-hunting senator.

"I grew up, I was going to college when Joe McCarthy was accusing good Americans of being traitors, so I've had enough of it," McPeak said.

On "Fox News Sunday," Richardson and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a Clinton supporter, both faulted Obama's campaign for allowing Peak to make the comments.

"I don't believe President Clinton was implying that," Richardson said.

Asked whether Obama's campaign was being too negative in accusing Mr. Clinton of McCarthyism, Rendell said, "Of course ... the Obama campaign tries to have it both ways," he said.

Rendell said Mr. Clinton was saying what many people think, that the campaign should focus on the economy, health care and the candidates' experience, for example, and not on race and other distractions.

"And instead they launch this all-out attack trying to take an inference out of President Clinton's words that no fair person could take," Rendell said. "It's an example of the negativity that Governor Richardson is talking about.

"If they want to tone it down, don't accuse someone of McCarthyism," Rendell said.

[popstom1]

Bill richardson you think Taco Bell is hiring he''s
going to need a job

[xlib]

This is funny, really funny. Just look at how he has let his hair grow and has the goatee going on. Think he''s trying to look more hispanic???? Ya think!
Wonder when he''ll change his name to ricardo or something like that. Talk about pandering.

[stn_sage]

Boy, that''s gratitude for ''ya from the Clinton campaign---he waits to make his announcement AFTER the TEXAS primary, thus NOT siphoning off part of the Hispanic vote toward Obama and helping Hillary win---and how is he repaid?! By being called a Judas, a traitor, and being publicly verbally abused! That''s how!

I bet he secretly wishes he would have announced for Obama before Texas, if he could do it all over!

Well, it''s another fine example of the Clintons'' character! Do you really want to put these ''people'' back in the White House?! :(

[pumaespiritu]

Since we have two racist folks beginning this blog it is necessary to upend such ignorance. Richardson made a courageous move in supporting Barack, all the more so considering the Clinton backlash. As for the previous comments... go back to Europe if you have a problem with Richardson''s appearance. America is RED, not white.

[lorinkundert]

Even long term Clinton allies are deserting them, about time people started waking up.

[barefootboy9]

Richardson would not be where he is today if it wasn''t for Bill Clinton. His state voted for Hillary. Yes he is a traitor.

[neobrian-2009]

Can You Believe Him ??
Judas Richardson
I`d NEVER Trust Him Again !
No Matter,..He Can Not be trusted NOW
He Is Very decisive

[lordmi]

So, you are dam''s endosing Obama, but Great endorsing Billary?

How come?
Politic''s a la Clintons.
ENOUGH!

[lordmi]

Well, Billary may take a job with dishes in Taco Bell.
But I not sure, she can be hired - how can you trust her even there?
Also, she never had the job done, justdeclarations.
I do not want dishes from her.
Tooo very dirty

[realpatriot1]

The Clinton whiners are out in force!

No one owes anybody a political endorsement. None of the Clintonistas saw anything wrong with Paul O''Neill
or Joe Wilson or others to speak out against the Bush administration. After the way the Clintons conducted themselves in the White House and let all Democrats down they are owed nothing.

Every American owes it to their country to support the candidate who they think will do best for the country and that''s the only onligation that matters.

If you all think this is an act of betrayal, what do you think Monica and Marc Rich were?

[webama]

Sooo, so , Yes Obama can !

Obama08

[broncfan1661]

Richardson is ridiculus. It''s like sticking a knife in your back and then running around and saying "Let''s not get violent here." Next he will claim that he is not Hispanic after all.
If this is the best Obama can do for a VP he might as well throw in the towel right now. Because McCain will slaughter him.
But then maybe Obama has promised him the VP slot but will also become a turncoat if he is nominated. It would be fitting.

[craigh9]

Richardson would not be where he is today if it wasn''''t for Bill Clinton. His state voted for Hillary. Yes he is a traitor.

Posted by barefootboy9 at 12:41 PM : Mar 24, 2008

He is a politician who realizes that the Hillary Campaign is dead - this is just the beginning of the remaining super delegates lining up to be on the winning side to obtain future political favors - it''s how the game is played. Face it, Obama has it won, and to the victor goes the spoils - or in this case the super delegates.

[concorde5]

Hooray for Richardson!!! He is above politics, I salute him. The Clintons have blown it again. Hillary needs to muzzle Bill and they both need to admit they have lost. Hillary''s problem is not Obama or Richardson. Her problem is herself! The country is ready for a politician we can believe in. Hillary sounds too fake, too rehearsed, too calculated. She is not sincere and will say ANYTHING to get elected. We see right through her and she has already lost as a result. Hillary for the good of the party, for the good of the country, get OUT of this race and shut the hell up. I am sick of her bitterness and constant race baiting. We need someone who is above race, above politics as usual. We need a different kind of politics in this country.

Obama 08!!
yes we can

[broncfan1661]

"Gov. Richardson is absolutely right........It is not about personal loyalties, it is about what is best for our country!! Sen. Clinton needs to remember that or we will be in a war with Iran by next summer and be questioning instituting a draft"


I don''t think Obama could institute anything. He just takes credit for what his buddy Teddy does.
I think he would be making an "eloquent speech" while Washington was burning.

[gunownerdan]

Obama should pick Richardson for his VP.

[truthbug]

RICHARDSON IS WRIGHT - WRONG RIGHT. He is another WRIGHT under the wings of OBAMA.

RICHARDSON played the role of JUDAS by selling out CLINTON just to be considered as VICEPRESIDENT with OBAMA.

OBAMA''s superset of ADVISERS: RICHARDSON(judas), WRIGHT(antiamerican), RENZO(scumlord), FARRAQ(terrorislam).

Let''s vote for the FIRST MUSLIM PRESIDENT!

[obamasgranny]

Richardson is an idiot. He went against the will of the voters in his own state!! I do not want to hear any Whining from the Obama-bots when the Superdelegates vote for Hillary!!
maybe he should tell Obama to stop going negative!!

NOBAMA 08

[sjbj2322]

When a President makes an appointment, that person serves at the discretion of the President. When a person is elected Governor, he serves at the discretion of the electorate. Richardson backstabbed both. Do not make the mistake of thinking this man took a position in endorsing Obama because he thought it was the right thing to do for the country. With Richardson its always been about what makes Richardson look good. You can best believe this endorsement came with BIG strings attached. I thought it hysterical that on the same day that he endorsed Obama, he had to defend Bill Clinton for the attack made on him by an Obama supporter. Who started the nastiness.....recall who called who the Senator from Punjab! UH Yeah - that would be Obama last summer.

[besscannon-2009]

Great! Now we have a two pronged ticket, Obama that wants to turn our country and government over to the blacks, and Richardson that wants to turn it over to the Hispanics. Interesting prospect. Are any of you out there considering what this would mean? It would mean that bonefide Americans that want equality should find a new country to have it in. Because...if Obama becomes our president and Richardson our VP, we will have a VERY devided country and you won''t find them giving whites any of the advantages we have tried to give them. The balance will still be uneven but, this time, whites will be on the bottom. Beware how you vote, be VERY aware!!!

[concorde5]

The voters in Richardson''s state couldn''t decide between Hillary and Obama. That''s why it took two weeks to declare a winner. Clinton won by a handful of votes. It was virtually a tie. Richardson owes nothing to the people of New Mexico. They should thank him for having the clarity of thought to see through clinton''s BS. I hope hispanic voters don''t do what Hillary is doing, putting race ahead of the good of the country. Keep Race out of this Election. Vote Obama!!

[obamasgranny]

I love that, "she only won by a little",..when Obama is winning by less than 3% of the delegates and his poll #''s have dropped in the toilet before the covention,...NO WHINING from Obama-bots!!

STOP THE HATE!!
NOBAMA 08

[nancy971]

I see the bigots are out posting again. It so easy to post what you really think on an anonymous blog, but cannot ever say in person. Listen to Obama''s speech. Transcend please. Richardson does not owe the Clintons anything. Endorsing does not and should not mean the good ole quid pro quo standard. The Clintons are relics of the past. Obama is the future of the Democratic Party.

[sjbj2322]

I do not mean to imply that the only reason Richardson owed anything to the Clintons was because of all that Bill did for him though he did a lot - a lot that Richardson sure couldn''t have accomplished on his own. It is nothing but a farse that Richardson endorsed Obama over his speech....he''d quit taking calls from Bill weeks before the speech - admitted as much. Richardson is an opportunist who wanted to see whose coattail to hang on to - period. I hope it fails him miserably. Moreover, why the devil would people vote for a person to be the governor of a state if they didn''t think they could count on him to represent their interest. They didn''t vote for him to sit in his office playing tiddelywinks. YES, Richardson owes the people of New Mexico and its sheer stupidity to infer less.

[sjbj2322]

concorde5 said..."I hope hispanic voters don''''t do what Hillary is doing, putting race ahead of the good of the country. Keep Race out of this Election."

Do you not hear your own contradiction. Why identify a specific group if you don''t intend race to be an issue? What hypocracy.

[obamasgranny]

"I''m just not trying to be cute. I just have felt that an endorsement by me, I don''t think it is that significant," he said.
You got that right richardson!!

[concorde5]

If Richardson was an opportunist he would have endorsed Clinton before the Texas primary. Richardson was torn between the two and actually he would have likely supported Obama a long time ago if it weren''t for the pandering and begging and pleading of the Clintons. Richardson''s conscience finally got the better of him and he had to go with his best judjement and support Obama. Don''t hate him because he supported Obama. Had he supported Clinton you would be singing a completely different tune, that is the definition of HYPOCRASY. sjbj2322 Hillary has lost, face it. When Florida and Michigan said no to a new primary, Hillary was DONE! It''s time for the dems to come together and support Obama and stop the republicans from completely ruining this country.

Oh and the reason I mentioned Hispanics specifically is because that is the only group that is still voting overwhelmingly for Clinton. Clinton keeps injecting race into this election. Obama knows as soon as this election becomes about race, he has lost. He has tried desperately to stay above race but Clinton keeps trying to bring up race. Wonder why.....

Obama 08!

[popstom1]

He''s a trator and he owes NM. voters they put him
in office by a hand full his next job will be at taco bell

[obamasgranny]

%u201CIt should reflect the vote of my state,%u201D he had told the Times. %u201CIt should represent the vote of my constituency ... If superdelegates decide this nomination, it%u2019s going to look like big-shot politicians and fat cats decided who should be president.%u201D

Everything changes when you are offered some "Back room deal" I guess?

NOBAMA/RICHARDSON 08
NO WAY!!

[grammawhamma]

Richardson is an idiot. He went against the will of the voters in his own state!! I do not want to hear any Whining from the Obama-bots when the Superdelegates vote for Hillary!!
Posted by OBAMASGRANNY

Exactly what I was thinking!!
------
God "BLESS" America

[concorde5]

All of Hillary''s experience meant nothing when she voted with BUSH to go to war in Iraq. She will do anything and say anything for Votes. She was in favor of the war when the war was popular and now she is against it now that it is unpopular. She has no Backbone, no conscience, no conviction, no true beliefs.

The country is ready for a true leader who will say what he believes and not just what you want to hear. Obama is authentic, Hillary is Fake. Everyone sees that now.

Wake up America!!

Obama 08

[obamasgranny]

Wake up America!!
______________________

FEEL THE HATE!!
NOBAMA 08

[obamasgranny]

The country is ready for a true leader who will say what he believes and not just what you want to hear.
______________________________________

Kind of like Pastor Wright?

[grammawhamma]

No names have to be mentioned yet we all know who the unpatriotic candidate is. Even his followers know who it is.
-------
God "BLESS" America

[obamasgranny]

%u201CIt should reflect the vote of my state,%u201D he had told the Times. %u201CIt should represent the vote of my constituency ... If superdelegates decide this nomination, it%u2019s going to look like big-shot politicians and fat cats decided who should be president.%u201D

Everything changes when you are offered some "Back room deal" I guess?

NOBAMA/RICHARDSON 08
NO WAY!!

[element51]

besscannon...."A two pronged ticket..."Come on, get real. Do you honestly believe that Obama wants to give the country over to the blacks and Richardson wants to give it to the hispanics? Where do you people come up with this kind of BS? Please explain exactly how a president could accomplish something like that. All you are doing is repeating the same cr*p that you heard on talk radio or Faux News. If you want to warn people about something, warn them about what will happen if McCain in elected. Do you like things as they are now? Are you happy with the war and the economy and education and health care and the environment and the erosion of your constitutional rights? If so, then vote McCain. Oh yes, when that 4.00 a gallon gas hits enjoy that too.

[concorde5]

Hillary says the Super delegates should be free to vote however they want. She has consistently said that super delegates should not be bound by how their constituency voted.

All you Hillary supporters should agree. But most of you are probably hypocrites just like Hillary. She wants to change the rules to benefit her, what a surprise! Stop being Hypocrites. Wake Up America! She and her husband are unpatriotic, that''s why they sold secrets to the Chinese during the 90''s.

Yes we can!
Obama 08!

[obamasgranny]

Hillary says the Super delegates should be free to vote however they want. She has consistently said that super delegates should not be bound by how their constituency voted.
____________________________________________________

True,..but Richardson did!! He''s the hypocrite!!

[element51]

Hillarygirl34...I also grew up in the 50''s and 60''s. I grew up in a small town in the midwest typical for that time period. I remember the signs posted at each entrance into town. Those signs read, "***, don''t let the sun set on you in this town." Thank God those signs are gone now but they did exist. I remember hearing all those cute jokes about how stupid black people were. It was terrible. Then the civil rights movement started and slowly things began to change. But change is slow and people fear change. It has taken a long time to get to where we are now. When I was in the military I saw black soldiers treated with disdain and can remember thinking, "How can they stand that?" In 1964 I drove to Florida through the south and I remember seeing "blacks rest room signs" and black water fountains. So don''t tell me how wonderful things were for black folks. How can you blame them for feeling the way some of them do? How would you feel? I''m glad that there were some blacks who were treated at least decently back in those days but I''m glad those days are gone. By the way, I am white. Also I appologize for using the "N" word but that''s the way it was. I hate that word.

[obamasgranny]

Wow. Richardson is really a stand up guy.
____________________________________________

%u201CIt should reflect the vote of my state,%u201D he had told the Times. %u201CIt should represent the vote of my constituency ... If superdelegates decide this nomination, it%u2019s going to look like big-shot politicians and fat cats decided who should be president.%u201D

Stand up guy?

FEEL THE HATE!!
NOBAMA 08!!

[element51]

Hillarygirl...Your rationale makes a lot of sense. If you can''t have it your way, switch sides. I ask you the same question that I asked "besscanon". Are you happy with the way things are now? If you are then by all means vote for McCain. You have every right to do so. But don''t complain when things get even worse. When gas hits 4 or 5 dollars and your groceries cost you 25 to 30 percent more. When the death tole is 6000 and the VA hospitals can''t keep up with the severly wounded. If you or one of your kids get sick and your insurance refuses to pay. Or your school can''t afford to pay their heating bill or buy new text books. If you like all that go on and desert your party. Just remember not to complain.

[obamasgranny]

"I''m just not trying to be cute. I just have felt that an endorsement by me, I don''t think it is that significant," Richardson said.

The only true words spoken by Richardson in recent memory!!

NOBAMA 08

[obamasgranny]

Yeah I "feel the hate". It''''s coming from all the negative detractors such as yourself.
_______________________________________

That would be TRUTH,...not hate, that is coming from your candidates Pastor!!

[element51]

OBAMASGRANNY...Keep doing just what you have been doing. What the country needs is more hate. Doesn''t it feel good to hate. Makes you feel so alive. You embarass me...you make me feel ashamed. It''s fine if you don''t want Obama. Don''t vote for him. But please back off the hate. There''s pleanty of it to go around and we don''t need any more.

[obamasgranny]

OBAMASGRANNY...Keep doing just what you have been doing. What the country needs is more hate. Doesn''''t it feel good to hate. Makes you feel so alive. You embarass me...you make me feel ashamed. It''''s fine if you don''''t want Obama. Don''''t vote for him. But please back off the hate. There''''s pleanty of it to go around and we don''''t need any more.

_____________________________________________________
That is exactly what I told my grandson!!

[obamasgranny]

I''m just a "Typical white woman" why are you attacking me?

NOBAMA 08

[yaliktono]

Richardson is pathetic. By endorsing Obama he is serving his own political self interest and crapping all over the very people that made him what he is today. He''s an ungrateful scumbag.

[element51]

I, for one, am thankful for people like Bill Richardson. I respect anyone who has the courage of their convictions even though they know that by expressing those convictions there will be some who ridicule them. This man did what he felt was right for him. He had the guts to stand up and say this is what I feel. Even if you disagree with him how can you critisize him for standing up for what he believes. I would much rather have someone like him representating me than someone who will not stand for what they believe, someone who will change just to get the nomination.

[concorde5]

Element51...I agree completely with your posts. We must get past the hate. There are a lot of posts that are filled with hate. It is very refreshing to see positive posts that are uplifting and not degrading. Even if you disagree with Richardson you should respect him for standing up for what he believes in.

Hooray for you Element51 and we should have more like you. Stay true to your principles and vote for who you believe in regardless of party affiliation or race. Thank you for ending my day with a smile!!!

[truthword08]

Obama raised funds for Islamic causes
Speeches for Palestinian refugees called code for Israel''s destruction:

http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=57341