Barack Obama and his transcendent campaign for President have come to Portland. I'd be over there in the Rose Quarter freezing my ass off if work didn't get in the way. If you want to follow the action this morning, I'd recommend Blogtown, PDX. Their team has a full-court press on the event.

In other news, Obama brought a special guest with him today. Bill Richardson, former Presidential candidate, Superdelegate, former Congressman, former UN Ambassador, former Secretary of Energy, and current New Mexico Governor, has decided to endorse Obama's campaign and will do so in Portland this morning. A big hat tip to Blue Oregon on this one.

Here's what Richardson had to say:

"I believe he is the kind of once-in-a-lifetime leader that can bring our nation together and restore America's moral leadership in the world," Gov. Richardson said in a statement. "As a presidential candidate, I know full well Sen. Obama's unique moral ability to inspire the American people to confront our urgent challenges at home and abroad in a spirit of bipartisanship and reconciliation."

Take that Hillary! Damn. Now I really am kicking myself for not going! But I'm sure Obama will be back soon, considering we have to vote eventually. This could really be the turning point in the election. After Obama's seminal speech on race, having the nation's only Hispanic Governor endorse is huge. And, Richardson's a bigwig.

Someone tell me how they do together. This is a ticket, beyond Obama-Kaine or Obama-Sebelius, that really has potential. They both have strong, anti-war rhetoric that ties them together and different experiences which add to the other. Nice!

Update: According to Blogtown, you can watch the event live online at KATU's website.