By Douglas Kennedy

Just when did Montana politico Bill Kennedy decide to endorse Hillary Clinton?

The Clinton campaign has suggested the Yellowstone County commissioner picked Clinton only after he heard Barack Obama's now famous "bitter" comments. But Kennedy told FOX News on Tuesday that he decided on Clinton long before that.

"I had been leaning toward Hillary for months," Kennedy said. "I actually decided to endorse her two weeks ago."

The timeline dispute could prove embarrassing for the Clinton campaign, which for days, has been doing everything it can to exploit the April 6 comments and paint Obama as elitist.

Obama was at a fundraiser in San Franciso when he spoke about the tough economic times and the frustration he sees in small town America.

"It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations," he told the group of donors.

The Clinton campaign immediately jumped on the comment and for days has barraged Obama with charges of arrogance and being out of sync with regular Americans. Clinton herself has taken multiple opportunities to bash Obama personally, and the campaign produced an ad about the gaffe, that may have the harshest tone of the election season so far.

The Kennedy nod seemed like manna from heaven, the perfect endorsement at the perfect time: an insulted small town pol takes on the 'out of touch' Obama. The campaign even posted prominently on its Web site a quote from Kennedy that captured his obvious disgust.

"In Montana, going to church or going hunting is part of our heritage, not something we 'cling to' out of bitterness or frustration," he said in a statement distributed to media in-boxes around the nation.

The story quickly went out over the wires and got picked up in newspapers across the country.

In an interview with FOX News, Kennedy said he decided to endorse Clinton on April 5, a week before Obama's comments surfaced.

He explained he saw Clinton speak on April 5 in Butte, Mont., at the Mansfield-Metcalf Dinner, the state's annual Democratic dinner.

"I had been very impressed with Senator Clinton over the last few months," he said.

Asked if hearing her speak at the dinner had been the deciding factor for him, Kennedy replied, "Yes."

Late Tuesday, the campaign issued an open letter from other Montana officials -- Kennedy's name was not included -- decrying the Obama comment.

"Sen. Obama’s views are offensive to rural Montanans who work everyday to provide for our families, lift up our communities and strengthen our state and country," reads the letter from eight state lawmakers.

"We embrace our faith not out of frustration but as a foundation of the values that guide us – the values we have inherited and the values we pass on. Montanans are hunters. Many Montanans feel the Second Amendment is a part of our heritage as sportsmen and recreationists. It is not something we ‘cling to’ out of bitterness," the letter continues