Let Me Count the Ways

Dan Balz from the Washington Post gives us five (ways Gov. Richardson's endorsement helps Sen. Obama):

The first is timing. Richardson has ridden to Obama's rescue during what has been the roughest stretch of his candidacy. It comes after the uproar over Obama's spiritual mentor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, which has knocked Obama off stride. It comes after losses in Ohio and Texas, which cost Obama the opportunity to force Clinton out of the race...

...Second, Richardson sends a signal to superdelegates that they too should back Obama. This may be the most significant aspect of his decision to back Obama. Superdelegates will decide the nomination. There is no way either Clinton or Obama can get to the 2,024 votes necessary to win the nomination without the superdelegates...

...Third, Richardson is close to both Clintons. He served as United Nations ambassador and later as Energy secretary in Bill Clinton's administration. He and the former president famously munched their way through the Super Bowl in February in what clearly was an attempt by the Clinton team to woo and win his support. During a number of debates, Richardson leaped to Clinton's defense when she was coming under attack from Obama or John Edwards...

...Fourth, Richardson implicitly helps Obama answer questions about his readiness to be commander in chief. More than any other candidate in the Democratic race, Richardson based his campaign on his foreign policy resume. Along with Joe Biden, he has more experience in that area than any of their rivals. Clinton's ad asking who voters want to answer the White House phone at 3 a.m. clearly hurt Obama, and while a single endorsement from a foreign policy heavyweight won't end questions about Obama's credentials, Richardson's decision to end his neutrality undercuts Clinton's argument that she alone is ready to take on the powers of the presidency...

...Fifth, Richardson's support could help Obama improve his standing with Hispanic voters. Clearly an endorsement would have been more valuable before the Texas primary, where Clinton beat Obama by 2-1 among Hispanics. But better late than never. Obama has struggled throughout the primaries to demonstrate consistent strength among Latinos and only in a few circumstances has he done so. If he is the nominee, he will need all the help he can muster to win the kind of majority among Hispanics any Democrat must have to win the White House. Clinton still will be heavily favored to win the Puerto Rico primary in June, but as the first Hispanic candidate for president, Richardson's endorsement speaks to a weakness in Obama's candidacy...

If I were rank them in order of importance to Sen. Obama's campaign, it would go like this:

1. Readiness
2. Superdelegates
3. Hispanic Vote
4. Timing
5. Richardson's Closeness With the Clintons

Richardson's relationship with the Clintons is less a boon to Obama and more a hit in Sen. Clinton's campaign. Considering Obama's speech, that fact that Rev. Wright adopted one of his sermons from the words of a Reagan official, and that both Clinton and Sen. McCain have been associated with less-than-mainstream religious figures, I don't see the timing as being so crucial (but it does help). Obama has been getting the Hispanic vote (although not consistently) but Richardson does put a positive, public face on the "Blacks and Latinos Can Get Along" message. Richardson's hesitation on his endorsement was in part because he didn't want the superdelegates to decide this primary; his decision to make a stance shows that he acknowledges that as noble as that belief may be, the current delegate count demands that the superdelegates have to be a player. As for readiness: one ad with Richardson and Sen. Biden will more than enough to negate any GOP ad quoting Sen. Clinton's "threshold" comments.