RICHARDSON ENDORSES....gulp.......OBAMA

Bill Richardson, the nation's only Hispanic governor, backed Barack Obama for president Friday, moved to deliver his much-coveted endorsement by the senator's speech about race. The New Mexico governor joined Obama at spirited rally Friday and said the Illinois senator demonstrated his leadership abilities this week with his speech on race. "You are a once-in-a-lifetime leader," the governor said from the stage. "Above all, you will be a president who brings this nation together."

The governor backed Obama despite his earlier statements that Democratic superdelegates, of which he's one, should pick sides based on the votes of their state or constituency. By that reasoning, he might have been expected to support Clinton because she won the New Mexico contest.

Courtesy of James Carville: 'An act of betrayal,' said James Carville, an adviser to the Clintons. '[Bill] 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. ... Under this analogy, Hillary is Jesus and Pennsylvania Easter morning. This may be a rhetorical overreach, James.

Richardson backed Obama despite his ties to Clinton and her husband, the former president. Richardson served as ambassador to the U.N. and as secretary of the Energy Department during the Clinton administration. Last month, Richardson and former President Clinton watched the Super Bowl together at the governor's residence in Santa Fe. Richardson was a roving diplomatic troubleshooter when he was a congressman from New Mexico, negotiating the release of U.S. hostages in several countries and meeting a rogue's gallery of U.S. adversaries, including Saddam Hussein and Fidel Castro.

And Richardson told of the time, during one of the many Democratic debates, when his attention wandered and he didn't hear the question that came at him. Obama, then his rival, bailed him out by whispering to him that it was about Hurricane Katrina. "He could have thrown me under the bus," Richardson cracked, "but he stood behind me."

Former President Bill Clinton (the man who single handedly positioned Richardson onto a national stage) left no doubt that he viewed Mr. Richardson’s support as important to his wife’s campaign: He even flew to New Mexico to watch the Super Bowl with Mr. Richardson as part of the Clintons’ high-profile courtship of him. But Mr. Richardson stopped returning Mr. Clinton’s calls days ago, Mr. Clinton’s aides said. Mr. Richardson said he called Mrs. Clinton late on Thursday to inform her that he would be appearing with Mr. Obama on Friday to lend his support. "It was cordial, but a little heated," Mr. Richardson said in an interview.