John Kerry Endorses Barack Obama
January 11, 2008
The Democratic presidential nominee who narrowly lost to George W. Bush in 2004 has cast his support for Senator Barack Obama. The Senator from Massachusetts voiced his support for the Senator from Illinois at a rally in Charleston, South Carolina on Thursday. Senator Obama had just placed second behind Senator Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary. The South Carolina primary will be held on January 26.
The endorsement has been seen as a “slap at Edwards,” who was Kerry’s running mate in 2004. Kerry and Edwards apparently had their share of disagreements in their presidential bid. Edwards’ own response was, “Our country and our party are stronger because of John’s service, and I respect his decision. When we were running against each other and on the same ticket, John and I agreed on many issues.”
As to why Kerry chose not to endorse Senator Clinton (he supposedly has had a good relationship with former President Bill Clinton), the AP speculates that his reasons could arise out of criticism he received from Hillary over a misstatement he made about the Iraq war. In his statement he said that “people who don’t go to school ‘get stuck in Iraq.’” Kerry later claimed that he meant to say “get us stuck in Iraq,” intended as an insult to President Bush.
Kerry’s endorsement brings some coveted resources to Obama’s campaign, including an email address book full of names who donated to Kerry’s campaign in 2004 (Washington Post).
Kerry’s relationship with Obama goes back to 2004 when he invited Obama to give a speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. That speech put Obama in the spotlight and helped him win his election to the U.S. Senate.
