if this were hillary clinton, the headline would be "hillary lies!"  but it's obama, so he simply overstates.  from the washington post"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/29/AR2008032902031.html

couldn't deliver massachusetts!  drat!!

Senator Ted Kennedy and Representative Barbara Lee campaigned for Barack Obama in Oakland Friday. Speaking before an enthusiastic overflow crowd at Oakland's Beebe Memorial Cathedral, Rep. Lee said that "Barack Obama is the future of this nation" and applauded his campaign as a democratic progressive movement for the 21st century. A fired-up Sen. Kennedy emphasized the historic significance of the 2008 race, calling it "perhaps the most important election of my lifetime." The photo here (taken by me, click on image for larger view) shows Kennedy answering questions from reporters. Asked why he turned against Hillary Clinton, Kennedy answered, "I'm not against anyone. I'm for Barack Obama."

robert f kennedy's children are united in their support of senator hillary clinton. from huffington post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-schlesinger/hillary-and-rfk_b_83856.html

and to you obama disciples, don't get too excited about the camelot endorsement.  you are, after all, so fond of saying how much you hate dynasties......

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, pledged to remain neutral in the Democratic primary race, came as close as she could Monday to endorsing Barack Obama without actually doing it, as the San Francisco Chronicle reports. On the aftermath of the Kennedy Obama endorsement preceding Bush's final State of the Union address Monday, the Chronicle's Zachary Coile writes that:  

"The buzz in the speaker's office Monday was not about Bush's address, but about Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy's fiery speech earlier endorsing Democrat Barack Obama.... 'Did you ever see anything like that?' asked Pelosi. 'Transferring the mantle from John F. Kennedy to Barack Obama. It was the most stunning thing. I mean, I couldn't take my eyes off it. And I didn't have any time to sit there and watch TV, you know - we had a whole schedule. I just was mesmerized by it.' ...Pelosi is staying neutral in the presidential race, citing her role chairing the party's national convention. But she couldn't help being affected watching the endorsement because she grew up idolizing President Kennedy. 'That's my era,' she said."

As suggested in my previous post, I think we'll see more of this in the days to come.

In what is seen as a major boost for Barack Obama and a sharp rebuke for the Hillary Clinton campaign, three important members of the Kennedy family delivered their endorsements to Obama today before an overflow crowd of cheering students at American University in Washington DC. Appearing with Obama in Washington were Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, JFK's daughter and Ted's niece Caroline Kennedy, and Ted's son Representative Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island. Live coverage by CNN reported huge crowds both inside and outside the auditorium where the rally has held, as well as heavily jammed traffic around the American University campus in the lead-up to the event. Obama and the Kennedys were greeted enthusiastically by students at the rally, who cheered loudly for each of the four speakers.

Ted Kennedy gave a rousing speech in which he evoked not only the names of his assassinated brothers but also of Martin Luther King, observing that Obama understands best of all the candidates what Dr. King called "the fierce urgency of now." While he spoke in elevated terms on the significance of our moment in history and the importance of seizing it, he also spoke on the specifics of Obama's qualifications for the presidency, noting Obama's high intelligence, his deep political insight, and his hard work on behalf of the poor; and insisting that Obama will be ready to do the job "on Day One." While praising Hillary Clinton and John Edwards collectively for their service to the American people and pledging to support the Democratic nominee whoever it may be, Kennedy stated clearly his conviction that Obama is the best candidate for the job; and referred unmistakably and repeatedly to shady, calculating tactics employed by the Clintons in recent weeks. Kennedy also pledged not just to endorse Obama, but to actively campaign across the United States on Obama's behalf. Kennedy was followed by Obama himself, who likewise delivered a rousing speech in characteristic style while the crowd went wild.

Media attention to the Kennedy endorsement and to this event has been strong, today eclipsing coverage of all the other Democratic and Republican campaigns. Media attention is one important reason Mark Halperin of Time writes that, while "endorsements don't usually matter much," Ted Kennedy's will matter a great deal. Halperin outlines this and other reasons for the significance of the Kennedy endorsement as follows:

"[Kennedy] has a huge following with Hispanics, a big deal in California and other Super Tuesday states, and one of Obama’s weaknesses.... The symbolic Kennedy family thing - the ultimate message of change, viability, Democratic legitimacy, and youthful excitement.... The national press will be obsessed with the story for days and days to come, with no downside for Obama; the local press coverage when Kennedy travels for Obama will be ginormous.... It sends a message to other senators and superdelegates that it is OK to be for Obama - they don’t have to be afraid of the Clintons.... [Kennedy] has a huge following among working-class, traditional Democrats, one of Obama’s weaknesses.... [Kennedy] has a huge following among union households, another of Obama’s weaknesses."

Obama has clearly come out of South Carolina with momentum at least equal to the bounce he got from his Iowa win if not greater. Meanwhile, the Clinton campaign is clearly paying a price for the tactics it has employed in recent weeks. Obama supporters will hope that more of the same keeps coming for Obama while the Clinton campaign continues to sag.

The morning after Barack Obama's stunning victory in South Carolina, an op-ed from JFK's daughter Caroline Kennedy appeared in the New York Times formally endorsing Obama for president. The title of her piece says it all: "A President Like My Father." However some may debate the influence of the Kennedy family today, this endorsement is certain to add weight to the many comparisons that have already been drawn between Obama and both assassinated Kennedy brothers. Coming on the heels of Caroline Kennedy's endorsement comes the news that her uncle Ted Kennedy is also about to announce his endorsement of Obama (see CNN). However tarnished Ted's reputation might be, his voice is an influential one in Congress, and may open the gates for a flood of congressional endorsements for Obama. Barack Obama now bears the Kennedy imprimatur.

"Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things," Caroline Kennedy writes in her New York Times piece today, "In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.... We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama." While she made no mention of the Clinton campaign, a clear contrast is suggested in Kennedy's observation that "Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign"; and that "when it comes to judgment, Barack Obama made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning." Concluding, Kennedy writes: "I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president - not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans."

Meanwhile, I'm pleased that my hometown newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, has also endorsed Obama today. "The American political system...," the Chronicle begins in a subtle reference to tactics employed recently against Obama by the Clinton campaign, "...craves a reprieve from the politics of bloodsport that prize clever calculation over courage, winning over principle, party label over national interest." The Chronicle then goes on to state directly against Clinton that "especially in recent days, her campaign has shown the sharp elbows that evoke the ugly underside of the Clinton years, and the (Karl Rove inspired) Bush years that succeeded them: the reflex to scorch the Earth, to do what is necessary to vanquish political adversaries.... all is justified if you are left standing at the end."

In the course of this campaign, and particularly since the Obama victory in Iowa, Bill and Hillary Clinton have obviously lost respect and support among many at all levels of the Democratic Party, and they have no one to blame for this but themselves. At the same time, Obama has waged a campaign not of calculation but of inspiration. Like Iowa, South Carolina could well be a major turning point in the race.