Bill Richardson has now endorsed Barack Obama’s presidential bid.
I guess the evening with President Bill Clinton watching a hockey match didn’t do enough to twin over the interest of the New Mexico governor. Of the presidential candidates, Senator Chris Dodd endorsed Obama first. Joe Biden and John Edwards remain uncommitted. And I have no idea whether Kucinich or Mike Gravel have endorsed Obama, or if he’d like to admit it if they did.
But this is turning into a slow motion replay of the second choice moves the night of the Iowa Caucuses — in which none of the presidential campaigns agreed to a “deal” with Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
But before Obama supporters get too intoxicated with that all against one metaphor — the Clinton campaign franchise is still standing and competing vigorously. And has even since Iowa.
My point here is that the Clinton political operation is huge — and as one well-known political pundit recently told me — “I’m having to finally accept that Hillary Clinton has supporters who really, really want and like her.” This was in a setting where a number of top tier journalists were admitting their sins of bias in the early season coverage of the campaigns.
Of course, the same is obviously true about Obama’s political challenge. His supporters are crusaders are not want to compromise. However, to get to an end to this duel, one side is going to have to negotiate an outcome with the other.
Richardson’s endorsement, Edwards’ endorsement — perhaps even an endorsement from Al Gore — provides an edge here and there — but not a definitive end.
— Steve Clemons
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