Controversy over guv’s endorsement continues

Bill Richardson has been unable to get away from the controversy surrounding his endorsement of Barack Obama, so he confronted it head-on in a Tuesday op-ed published in the Washington Post.

Today another newspaper revealed a weekend meeting where Bill Clinton expressed his anger at Richardson for endorsing Obama.

In the Post op-ed, Richardson ripped into Hillary Clinton supporter James Carville, who has compared Richardson’s endorsement of Obama to Judas’ betrayal of Jesus.

“While I certainly will not stoop to the low level of Mr. Carville, I feel compelled to defend myself against character assassination and baseless allegations,” Richardson wrote. “Carville has made it very clear that this is a personal attack – driven by his own sense of what constitutes loyalty. It is this kind of political venom that I anticipated from certain Clinton supporters and I campaigned against in my own run for president.”

Richardson said he endorsed Obama because he represents the opposite, as someone who “has the judgment, temperament and background to bridge our divisions as a nation and make America strong at home and respected in the world again.”

“In my view, Sen. Obama represents our best hope of replacing division with unity. That is why, out of loyalty to my country, I endorse him for president,” Richardson wrote.

An article published today in the San Francisco Chronicle reveals an angry Bill Clinton starting off a tirade about the presidential race by saying Richardson told him “five times to my face” that he would never endorse Obama.

Richardson wrote in his Post article that he “never told anyone, including President Clinton, that I would” endorse Hillary Clinton.

“Those who said I did are misinformed or worse,” he wrote.

Richardson has become a central figure in what has degraded into an ugly, ugly dogfight between Obama and Hillary Clinton. The governor wrote that he expects that will continue.

“I do not believe that the truth will keep Carville and others from attacking me,” he wrote. “I can only say that we need to move on from the politics of personal insult and attacks. That era, personified by Carville and his ilk, has passed and I believe we must end the rancor and partisanship that has mired Washington in gridlock.”