Imus to Gov. Richardson: "Besa mi culo"

On the February 1 edition of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning, host Don Imus offered a message to New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM): "Besa mi culo," which loosely translates as "kiss my ass" in Spanish. Imus was talking about his frustration with officials in New Mexico, and particularly in the governor's office, over a project that he described as "renovating a school in ... Ribera, New Mexico, to provide a community center for a devastated part of New Mexico." After calling Richardson "that fat governor," Imus said, "How 'bout if I whip your fat ass, Bill?" before an unidentified voice said "Besa mi culo," which Imus echoed. Later in the program, Imus referred to Richardson as "Gordo," which is Spanish for "fat one." Richardson's mother is Mexican.

As Media Matters for America noted, a January 22 Associated Press article reporting on Richardson's decision to form an exploratory committee to run for president in 2008 appeared in the New York Post under the headline: "N.M. Gov Throws Sombrero Into Ring."

As Media Matters also noted, last year Imus referred to the "Jewish management" of CBS Radio as "money-grubbing bastards."

From the February 1 edition of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning:

IMUS: This is not something I want. It's not about me.

UNIDENTIFIED: Call me around 7:15 p.m. I'll be free.

IMUS: About renovating a school in -- in -- Ribera, New Mexico, to provide a community center for a devastated part of New Mexico.

CHARLES McCORD (co-host): I'll be expecting his call --

IMUS: You know, and they jerked her around and never called her. And now they're all calling her the past few days. And then that fat governor wants me to apologize? How 'bout if I whip your fat ass, Bill? How does that sound?

UNIDENTIFIED: Besa mi culo.

IMUS: Yeah, besa mi culo, Richardson.

[...]

IMUS: So Governor Richardson -- this may not be all his fault, by the way -- but he is in charge. If he wants to run for president, he's got to get his act together and stop being a fat baby about all of this.

[...]

IMUS: And then, I had some little snivelly little weenie on the -- Phil -- Paul Shipley, who is Governor Richardson's communications director. I mean, this is unbelievable. He actually calls me and leaves a message that he wants me to -- wants me -- me -- to call him, some little pipsqueak yuppie on Governor Richardson's incompetent phony staff in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and discuss this. And then another one of these little pinheads says to Julie that they're demanding an apology.

Here's my apology: Besa mi culo! How is that?

UNIDENTIFIED: Gordo.

IMUS: Gordo. Governor Richardson better get on the phone and apologize, one, to me, and then apologize to Gloria Gonzalez and the people of Ribera.

—R.C.