Richardson: Obama Saved My Butt During Dem Debate
A nice catch by Taegan Goddard: In a fun bit of campaign trivia, commerce secretary nominee Bill Richardson reveals in a new interview that Barack Obama surreptitiously bailed him out during a Dem primary debate, even though they were rivals at the time:
"As I'm chatting with Obama, the moderator says, 'Governor Richardson, what do you think of that?' And I look at him like a deer in the headlights. I was about to say that I hadn't heard, when Obama puts his hand over his mouth and says, 'Katrina.' So I gave my four-point plan on Katrina. When I was done and the debate moved on, I looked over and said, 'Thanks, you're okay.' He said, 'Nothing to it, brother.'"
Okay, that was a pretty cool thing of the President-elect to do. One hopes, though, that Richardson doesn't need to be bailed out in similar fashion during cabinet meetings...
Late Update: As commenters are pointing out, this isn't the first time Richardson has told the story.
Advertisement
Richardson mentioned this when he threw his support behind Obama last spring. This episode, along with the two during the debates (quietly saying that Ahmadinejad is a tough name to pronounce and trying to steer John McCain out of Brokaw's camera shot) make Obama seem like a really nice guy.
I hope Richardson's powers of concentration aren't that iffy, though.
He was in the middle of a debate! Wonder what he was thinking about, instead.
December 3, 2008 2:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Took the words out of my mouth.
He did an interview in New Mexico right after he endorsed and he told this story there, too.
It's a great story.
December 3, 2008 2:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
As a person who often doesn't hear things (not my hearing, it's just my attention I guess), I'd say to give Richardson some slack. If he'd asked for a repeat of the question, it wouldn't have been the end of the world. I was, however, nice that he didn't have to ask for a repeat.
December 3, 2008 2:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
My mind wanders too, during faculty meetings, boring lectures, whenever Bush speaks...but this was a debate! I'm not knocking Richardson--I'm just wondering what he was thinking about...
December 3, 2008 2:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yah - that's why I think there may be hope yet -
December 3, 2008 2:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
That landed in the wrong place altogether. Wow.
December 3, 2008 2:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for the clarification. I was going to put my comment to CT after yours, but couldn't make heads or tails of it!
December 3, 2008 3:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Heh heh, true, it could have been interesting.
Maybe he was going over his Target list. Do we have enough Tide?
December 3, 2008 3:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
As the article says, he was "chatting with Obama" prior to the question.
December 3, 2008 3:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Richardson was in a debate with 8 other people in which he was lucky if he got two questions during the entire 90 minutes.
I'm sure Kucinich, Dodd, Gravel and Biden were zoning out from time to time, too!
December 3, 2008 4:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Go back and rewatch Richardson's initial endorsement of Obama in Portland. I was there and distinctly remember him telling this same story.
I do like the story, but it's not a new revelation.
December 3, 2008 2:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Richardson uses this story to illustrate what a stand up guy and a regular person Obama is. In the New Mexico interview, he went to discuss the difference between Obama and Clinton when it came to his endorsement. Clinton apparently didn't contact Richardson directly - other high ranking members of her campaign called him all the time and pressured him. He said Obama would call about once a month and just chat and remind Richardson that he was there.
Richardson said the same thing I've read others say: Obama may look too good to be true, but what you see is what you get.
December 3, 2008 2:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
I could do anything to be a fly on the wall in the Obama cabinet meetings.
What a team it is shaping up to be?
Wow!!!
December 3, 2008 2:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm loving this! Big brains everywhere and lots of easy on the eye appointments, too.
I get to look at Rahm and Richardson, in addition to our gorgeous and elegant president.
God I love my life! All this and Lil Wayne on the 19th - I must be in heaven.
December 3, 2008 2:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey! Bush had his rockstars too!
Remember Ashcroft singing about Eagle Sores?
December 3, 2008 2:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama, hardly known before 2004, now leads the biggest political brain power ever assembled. It's jusr incredible.
December 3, 2008 2:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
"...hardly known before 2004..."
At least you finally admit it...
December 3, 2008 3:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're just becoming more and more silly.
December 3, 2008 3:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
What's to admit? So the guy was a relative unknown four years ago. Newsflash: unknown doesn't mean untalented or unqualified or incapable. Just ask the folks he whipped to become president.
Besides, W was one of most famous people in the world 4 years ago and he's still a major screw up!!
December 3, 2008 4:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, old news, but I love the story. Obama is so nice :)
Others may have said "Iraq" instead to be evil. :P
December 3, 2008 2:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey, look what I found at HuffPo - (where's CT Voter?)
There's hope yet!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/03/bill-richardsons-missing_n_148085.html
December 3, 2008 2:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
LOL!!
Bring it back, Bill! Please?
December 3, 2008 2:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did you vote in the poll?
December 3, 2008 2:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Of course! Looks a bunch of other people feel the same way we do.
December 3, 2008 2:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
This just proves Obama is a Marxist Terrorist loving radical Socialist.
December 3, 2008 2:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
I love this story too. Also the story Obama told recently that, in an early debate when Obama's responses were a bit wandering and lackluster, John Edwards came over to him during a break and scolded him: "You've got to focus, Barack."
Good people.
December 3, 2008 2:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for sharing the worn out story about Barack saving Bill at the debate. It never gets old.
Hey, did anybody notice Richardson shaved his beard?
December 3, 2008 5:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
In fact, Obama was similarly gracious to McCain himself during the first debate. While McCain was repeatedly mispronouncing "Ahmadinejad," Obama quietly said, "That's a tough one."
I didn't even catch that until someone at dKos pointed it out the next morning. I thought it was a very kind and humane gesture. Had it been the other way around, you just know McCain would've been sneering at the teleprompter and laughing about how his "naive" opponent can't "even pronounce a dangerous leader's name, much less understand the threat he poses."
Obama: pure class.
December 3, 2008 8:39 PM | Reply | Permalink