Clinton Camp 'Ticked Me Off': Richardson

Bill Richardson says negative ads and arm-twisting phone calls from the Clinton camp pushed him to back Barack Obama last month, the Los Angeles Times reports. The New Mexico governor, labeled a "Judas" after supporting Obama, says he almost backed Hillary until her "3 a.m." ads came out—and Clintonites called saying he owed her support. "That really ticked me off," he said.

Obama, by contrast, called personally every few days, and the two became friends. “I saw real growth in the guy,” said Richardson, a former member of Bill Clinton's cabinet. He also contends that he did not betray the Clintons. “I was loyal,” he said. “But I don’t think that loyalty is transferable to his wife. You don’t transfer loyalty to a dynasty.” (More Bill Richardson stories.)