IN THE HEADLINES

Passport files for Clinton, Obama, McCain were pried into by State Department workers ... N.M. Gov. Bill Richardson, the only Hispanic governor, backs Obama for president ... McCain meets France's Sarkozy, comments on China and Tibet ... Federal appeals court dismisses Florida primary challenge ... Obama outspends and outraises Clinton, ends month with more cash on hand

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Candidates' passport files breached

WASHINGTON (AP) _ At least four State Department workers pried into the supposedly secure passport files of presidential contenders Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain, abashed officials admitted Friday in a revelation that had Condoleezza Rice promising a full investigation and telephoning the candidates to personally apologize.

The snooping incidents raised questions as to whether there was political motivation and why two contractors involved were fired before investigators had a chance to interview them. The State Department's inspector general was probing, with the Justice Department monitoring the effort, but Obama said that was not enough. He urged congressional involvement "so it's not simply an internal matter."

The unauthorized digging into electronic government files on politicians recalled a 1992 case in which a Republican political appointee at the State Department was demoted for searching Bill Clinton's passport records when Clinton was running against President George H.W. Bush.

McCain, the Republican nominee-in-waiting, said there should be an investigation of the new snooping as well as an apology.

Democrat Obama said that better include Congress, not just Bush administration investigators.

"When you have not just one but a series of attempts to tap into people's personal records, that's a problem not just for me but for how our government functions," Obama told reporters in Portland, Ore., where he was campaigning. "I expect a full and thorough investigation. It should be done be in conjunction with those congressional committees that have oversight function so it's not simply an internal matter."

Rice was apologetic in public as well as in her private phone calls to the candidates.

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NM Gov. Bill Richardson endorses Obama

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) _ Bill Richardson, the nation's only Hispanic governor, backed Barack Obama for president Friday, moved to deliver his much-coveted endorsement by the senator's speech about race.

The New Mexico governor joined Obama at spirited rally Friday and said the Illinois senator demonstrated his leadership abilities this week with his speech on race. "You are a once-in-a-lifetime leader," the governor said from the stage. "Above all, you will be a president who brings this nation together."

Richardson dropped his own bid for the nomination in January. His support for Obama comes during a tough period for the senator. Although he still leads Hillary Rodham Clinton in delegates, Obama has seen his lead in national polls wither in the fallout from divisive remarks by his former pastor.

Richardson was relentlessly courted by both candidates and his support for Obama provides him a potential counterweight to Clinton's strength among Hispanic voters.

It wasn't the first time racial concerns had helped to drive a prominent backer to Obama. Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy was moved to drop his neutrality and side with Obama in part because of what he saw as Bill Clinton's racially tinged criticisms of the senator.

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McCain meets Sarkozy, comments on China

PARIS (AP) _ Sen. John McCain said Friday that China is harming its world image with its crackdown in Tibet and expressed hope Beijing would seek a peaceful solution to the crisis.

McCain did not discuss the issue during a 45-minute meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, but told reporters later the subject was "one of the first things I would talk about if I were president of the United States today."

China's crackdown "is not correct," McCain said in the courtyard of the French presidential Elysee Palace.

"The people there are being subjected to mistreatment that is not acceptable with the conduct of a world power, which China is," McCain said in response to a question by a Chinese television journalist.

The White House has urged Beijing to respect Tibetan culture and multi-ethnicity in its society.

McCain was in Paris for a matter of hours at the end of a weeklong tour of the Middle East and Europe. He was traveling as part of a U.S. congressional delegation that visited Iraq, Jordan, Israel and London.

The delegation discussed a range of issues with Sarkozy, from climate warming and nuclear energy to the Middle East crisis, Iraq and Afghanistan, where France has troops.

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Court dismisses Florida primary lawsuit

ATLANTA (AP) _ A federal appeals court dismissed a lawsuit against the Democratic National Committee over the party's decision to strip Florida of its delegates to its national convention.

But the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a ruling released Friday, said the lawsuit "raises a number of interesting and potentially significant questions," and gave the plaintiff an opening to amend and refile the lawsuit.

The plaintiff, Victor DiMaio, a Democratic Party activist from Tampa, Fla., said he would refile.

DiMaio filed the lawsuit in 2007 accusing the party of disenfranchising Florida's Democratic voters by barring them from having their say in choosing their party's nominee. The party stripped both Florida and Michigan of their national convention delegates because they moved their primaries to January dates that were earlier than party rules allowed.

The Democratic National Committee argued the party has the right to set its own rules and not seat delegates who refuse to follow them.

The three-judge panel agreed with a U.S. district judge in Tampa who dismissed the challenge, saying that DiMaio "undeniably" lacked standing to bring the lawsuit because he had yet to vote in the Florida primary when it was filed.

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Obama outspends and outraises Clinton

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Hillary Rodham Clinton upped the tempo of her fundraising and her spending last month, only to be eclipsed by rival Barack Obama. At month's end, with debts of nearly $9 million, her money was nearly spent and he was sitting atop $30 million in available cash.

Obama's campaign spent at a rate of nearly $1.5 million a day in February _ a crucial month that began with the Feb. 5 Super Tuesday and ended with both candidates marching to a showdown March 4 in Texas and Ohio. Clinton, riding her best fundraising period yet, spent about $1 million a day on average.

But reports filed with the Federal Election commission late Thursday showed that Obama set a single month fundraising record, with more than $55 million in contributions.

Both Democrats ended up with more than $30 million in the bank, but Clinton can't use two thirds of her cash on hand because it's only for the general election. That and her debt left her with less than $3 million in the black. The debt doesn't include the $5 million she lent her campaign in January.

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THE DEMOCRATS

Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Chappaqua, N.Y. Barack Obama campaigns in Oregon.

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THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain is overseas on a congressional trip.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"He could have thrown me under the bus, but he stood behind me." _ New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, explaining how he missed a question during a Democratic presidential debate and rival Barack Obama came to his rescue by whispering the subject of it to him. Richardson endorsed Obama on Friday.

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STAT OF THE DAY:

Since January, more than 68,000 registered voters in Pennsylvania changed their affiliation to one of the major parties, with those switching to Democratic registration outpacing those turning Republican by more than 3-1.

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Compiled by Ann Sanner

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