Bill Richardson's slap in the face/another rat slips off the sinking ship HMS Clinton

After their shameless open courting of their old pal and cabinet member, Bill Richardson; after the two Bills most publicly drank beer, ate ribs, and watched the Superbowl together last month, and after promising to not endorse Obama, the Governor of New Mexico endorsed Barak Obama for President Friday in Portland, Oregon.

"Your candidacy is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our country, and you are a once-in-a-lifetime leader," said Richardson, the nation's only Hispanic governor, before a roaring crowd of 12,000 in Portland's Memorial Coliseum. "You will make every American proud to be an American."

Richardson broke the news to Clinton late Thursday. "We've had better conversations," he said.

In his speech, Richardson said "It is time for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and to prepare for the tough fight we have against John McCain," the Republican nominee. Or, in short, "get out of the race Hillary."

The Clinton camp, naturally, tried to brush off the endorsement, saying it was largely symbolic, and not likely to turn any votes around (well, if you don't count the superdelegates!). To find out what the Clintons are really thinking, perhaps it's best to look at their longtime loose cannon rolling around on the deck:

James Carville told the New York Times that Richardson, a former member of Bill Clinton's Cabinet, had committed "an act of betrayal." "Right around the anniversary of the day when Judas sold out [Jesus] for 30 pieces of silver, so I think the timing is appropriate, if ironic."

Now things are heating up. In response, Governor Richardson said this morning on a talk show:

"I'm not going to get in the gutter like that," Richardson said on "Fox News Sunday." "That's typical of many of the people around Senator Clinton. They think they have a sense of entitlement to the presidency."

"I am very loyal to the Clintons," said Richardson, but he said he wanted something beyond "Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton." "You know, what about the rest of us?" he asked.
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