denver and the west
McCain called "sour grapes"
Bill Richardson defends Obama's European visit, saying rival is "jealous."
By Karen E. Crummy
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 07/26/2008 11:21:13 PM MDT
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson slammed GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain on Saturday, calling his criticism of Sen. Barack Obama's trip to Europe and the Middle East as nothing more than "sour grapes."
Richardson, one of Obama's most high-profile surrogates, also said that the Obama campaign was considering a trip to Latin America sometime before the November election.
"There are discussions about it. He wants to emphasize that his administration would not be Europe-centric or only focused on the Middle East," Richardson said in an interview.
The trip also would probably generate excitement among many of the country's Latino voters, a crucial voting bloc.
The former Democratic presidential candidate was in Denver to rally Obama and Democratic supporters, who are canvassing some 70 locations throughout the state this weekend.
Earlier in the day, during his weekly radio address, McCain suggested that Obama was paying more attention to people overseas than he was to problems American voters are having at home.
In London, Obama said he didn't understand the criticism, given that McCain had recently visited Colombia, Canada and Mexico.
On this side of the Atlantic, however, Richardson was more blunt.
"McCain's jealous of the coverage and acclaim Obama is getting," he said. "McCain just doesn't generate excitement."
Richardson, the son of an American father and Mexican mother, has been traveling to the battleground states of Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Florida to reach out to Latino voters.
He said that in order for Obama to win these states, the presidential candidate must continue talking to Latino voters about more than immigration.
"He needs to get better acquainted with Hispanic voters and talk about health care, education, gas prices, and continue doing Spanish ads that reach a broader group," he said.
Richardson also said that in the West, voters want to hear about transportation solutions and environmental issues. |
