Obama's Ancestors May Have Owned Slaves

Democratic presidential hopeful, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is seen on stage after speaking at the Latino Leaders luncheon in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2007. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) (Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP)

"There is this fixation that the Washington media is developing that this race is basically already over and that the two most important attributes are who can raise the most money and who has the most rock-star status," Richardson told reporters on Friday, after taping a show for Iowa Public Television.

"I think that's absurd. I think the voters of Iowa will have something to say about that."

Still, Richardson boasted about his ability to raise money.

"I don't want to get into numbers, but I was able to raise $14 million for my race as governor. I raised close to $30 million for the Democratic Governor's Association. We raised $2 million in one night in New Mexico," he said. "We'll be respectable."

Richardson, making his first trip to Iowa since announcing his presidential bid, emphasized his lengthy resume as a congressman, diplomat, energy secretary and governor. He also took subtle digs at his Democratic opponents _ all senators or former senators _ in making his case.

"I'm a governor. I believe that's an asset," Richardson told reporters. "I've got CEO experience ... I've done things to help the middle class _ tangible things. I don't just give speeches about it and vote on it."

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) _ Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd called Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a thug and said the United States should avoid dealing with him when discussing the future of Iraq.

"We need to explore centers of control and power beyond the office of the president," said Dodd, a Connecticut senator. "I wouldn't be dealing with Ahmadinejad. This is a thug. This is a guy who refuses to recognize the existence of a Holocaust. I mean this is a person who is not worthy, in my view, of sitting across the table with serious negotiators."

Dodd, a frequent critic of the Bush administration's handling of the war in Iraq, said he welcomed news this week that the U.S. would begin joint talks with Iraq's neighbors, including Iran and Syria. But he said the war has had a high cost and that, instead of increasing troop levels as Bush has proposed, it's time for troops to redeploy and withdraw.

"I think we've done about all we can do," Dodd said in his speech to the University of South Carolina.

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