Richardson tries to explain away gay slur...

Ran into ace political reporter Karen Ocamb last night at Outfest and we chatted about her story on Gov. Bill Richardson using the Spanish word ''maricon' on Don Imus' now-defunct radio show.' The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation says the word means ''faggot'' in Spanish.
So Richardson talked to the AP about the whole thing and now says he meant to be playful but apologized to anyone who was offended.
''My record is the strongest among the presidential candidates on gay rights issues and I'm puzzled by the timing of this. When it happened a year ago, nobody seemed to think it was terribly important. Now it surfaces,'' he told The Associated Press in an interview. ''It's probably a sign from other campaigns that they are little worried about me."
Richardson said that in the Spanish he grew up speaking, ''the term means simply 'gay,' not positive or negative.''
Uh sure.
Go Hillary!