Imus Changes His Tune on Gov. Radio Host Is For Richardson

By Journal Staff Writer BY LESLIE LINTHICUM

Last month, talk show host Don Imus went on a rant against New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, calling him a "fat sissy," a "fat baby" and inviting him, in Spanish, to kiss his culo. This week, it was Imus doing the kissing.

Imus threw his support to Richardson for president during his "Imus in the Morning" radio broadcast Monday.

"No more ‘Besa mi culo, gordo’," Imus said, referring to his earlier invitation in Spanish for the governor to kiss his rear end. "Now it’s Bill Richardson for president."

What was the price of that change of tune?

A cool $600,000.

Imus went on the attack last month when he felt Richardson was stalling on offering financial support to turn the old Ribera school into a community center.

Imus and his wife, Deirdre, live part time on a ranch near Ribera in San Miguel County and have offered to help a local woman get funding for the school renovation. They donated $25,000 to the project and Deirdre Imus asked Richardson to cut loose some state money.

When Richardson signed one of the Legislature’s capital outlay bills last week, it contained a $600,000 appropriation from the state general fund for the Ribera school project — an item that came at the gover- nor’s request.

On Monday, Imus called for President Bush to resign and then said, "Speaking of the next president of the United States — Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico — congratulations to him because he signed off on that appropriation to renovate that school in Ribera, New Mexico. Even though it got ugly for a while and he wouldn’t speak to me, he kept his word."

Richardson also buried the hatchet Tuesday. In a statement, he said, "I am pleased that we are friends again after we cleared up a simple misunderstanding."

Imus’ show airs in Albuquerque on 610 KNML-AM, the Sports Animal, and is also televised on MSNBC.

On the Feb. 1 broadcast, Imus complained that Richardson’s office had been giving Gloria Gonzales, the woman spearheading the Ribera renovation project, the runaround and that Richardson said he would appear on the Imus show and then canceled after Imus criticized him.

"If he wants to run for president, he’s got to get his act together, stop being a fat baby about all of this," Imus said. He also said that a Richardson staffer had demanded Imus apologize for his comments about the governor. To that, Imus said, "Here’s my apology. Besa mi culo! How’s that, gordo?"

Richardson campaign spokesman Pahl Shipley said in February that Richardson supported the project, but that a land ownership issue with the Bureau of Land Management had to be worked out before the state could give it money.

Imus said Monday the BLM had cleared the way for the renovation.

Shipley said the ownership issue was close to being resolved "but it will have to meet all the state requirements before the money can be spent."

(c) 2007 Albuquerque Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.