Bob Schieffer of CBS’ Face the Nation got off the equivalent of ‘Don’t give me that’ at the expense of New Mexico’s own Gov. Bill Richardson on Sunday morning.

Richardson, as you may know, is a high-profile surrogate for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Obama decided last week to change his mind about accepting public financing for November’s general election. Last year he said he would take the public financing and the limits that come with it. This week he said he’d forego public financing. With about 1.5 million donors, many of whom have not reached the federal contribution cap, Obama’s campaign figures he can raise much more than money than GOP presidential nominee John McCain will get from public financing.

The governo was asked to explain the switcheroo:
 

RICHARDSON: Well, what Barack Obama has done is in the spirit of reform of the public financing system. Look at these statistics, Bob. He takes no money from…

SCHIEFFER: Well, that–I mean…

RICHARDSON: …from–no, I mean this.

SCHIEFFER: He says, `I’m not going to do it’…

RICHARDSON: He…

SCHIEFFER: …and that’s in the spirit of reform? Now, really, Governor.

RICHARDSON: Well, let me finish. Here’s the point. He has 1.5 million contributors. Significantly–90 percent under–the average is $88 per contributor, $88. Here we have somebody that takes no money from registered lobbyists, from PACs. I mean, that’s reform.  

It’s an understatement to say that Schieffer didn’t buy the line from Richardson. Later the veteran Washington reporter said:

"So what he has done is directly the opposite of what he said he was going to do."

It’s going to be a long election season for the Obama campaign trying to explain this one.