But when it came time to decide, Richardson said Obama "will be a historic and great president, who can bring us the change we so desperately need by bringing us together as a nation here at home and with our allies abroad."

While Richardson called Hillary Clinton "a distinguished leader with vast experience," he said it is "now time for a new generation of leadership."

In a reference to the Clintons's argument that Obama is too inexperienced to be commander in chief, Richardson referred to his own role as a globe-trotting troubleshooter who has met with rogue state leaders. He said Obama possesses "the judgment and courage we need in a commander-in-chief when our nation's security is on the line."

Obama  sincerely returned the praise and said he was "deeply honored" to have Richardson's support.

Richardson's endorsement of Obama sent three strong signals to the Democratic party as well as the other superdelegates ~ 1. Obama represents a new generation of leadership and is the only candidate that can truly unite the party.  2. An Obama / Richardson ticket would combine experience and youth, a Senator and Governor, dual strong anti-war credentials with broad appeal for blacks, whites and latinos. 3. It's time for the Clintons to fold up their tent and realize that their day has come and gone and that the future of the Democratic party is Barack Obama.  

The clues are all there in Obama's recent speech about his ideal running Mate ~ " I want somebody who has integrity, who’s in politics for the right reasons, I want somebody who is independent. Somebody who is able to say to me, ‘You know what, Mr. President, I think you’re wrong on this and here’s why,’ and who will help me think through major issues and consult with me, would be a key advisor. I want somebody who is capable of being president and who I would trust to be president. That’s the first criteria for VP."

Only one of the finalists meets all those criteria ~ and that is Bill Richardson.

Obama goes on to say ~ " And the final thing is, I want a [vice] president who shares with me a passion to make the lives of the American people better than they are right now.  I want someone who is not in it just because they want to have their name up in lights or end up being president. I want somebody who is mad right now that people are losing their jobs. And is mad right now that people have seen their incomes decline, and wants to rebuild the middle class in this country. That’s the kind of person that I want; somebody who in their gut knows where they came from and believes that we have to grow this country from the bottom up."

Once again ~ that person is obviously Bill Richardson.

You heard it here first ~ Obama/Richardson in 2008