John Kerry Embraces Barack Obama

Democrat John Kerry, loser of the 2004 presidential election, has endorsed Barack Obama.

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Senator John Kerry embraced the presidential candidacy of Senator Barack Obama here on Thursday, saying Mr. Obama “had the greatest potential to lead a transformation, not just a transition.”

“Who better than Barack Obama to bring new credibility to America’s role in the world and help restore our moral authority?” Mr. Kerry said, speaking at a rally at the College of Charleston. “Who better than Barack Obama to turn a new page in American politics, so that Democrats, independents and Republicans alike can look to the leadership that unites to find common ground.”

Who better?

Any of the Republican candidates, except Ron Paul.

Mr. Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat who was the party’s presidential nominee in 2004, said he was endorsing Mr. Obama’s candidacy because he believed he was uniquely situated to inspire “millions of Americans to join together and come together in a movement” to demand real change in Washington.

It was just outside of Charleston where Mr. Kerry formally opened his own presidential campaign, standing in Patriot Point’s harbor against the backdrop of an aircraft carrier on Sept. 3, 2003. After losing to President Bush, Mr. Kerry had planned to make a second bid for the White House in 2008, but decided against it and has remained on the sidelines for the last year throughout the party’s nominating fight.

South Carolina was selected as the site for the endorsement, aides said, to bolster Mr. Obama’s effort to win the state’s Democratic primary on Jan. 26. It was designed to send the message to voters here that he believes Mr. Obama is a better candidate than John Edwards, Mr. Kerry’s former running mate, who has vowed to keep his own presidential candidacy alive.

Way to stab former running mate Edwards in the back!

It reminds me of Al Gore refusing to endorse Joe Lieberman in his run against Ned Lamont in 2006.

“There are other candidates in this race with whom I have worked and whom I respect,” Mr. Kerry said. “Each of them could be president tomorrow. But I believe that more than everyone else, Barack Obama can help our country turn the page and get America moving by uniting and ending the division that America faces. He has a superb talent, as all of you know, to communicate the best of our hopes and aspirations for American and the world.”

The endorsement was weeks in the making. In the final days before the Iowa caucuses, Mr. Kerry was on the verge of announcing his support for Mr. Obama, aides said, but a final decision wasn’t made because it was not clear how it would affect the campaign. So Mr. Kerry decided to hold off on the endorsement until after New Hampshire primary.

When the two men embraced, beneath magnolia trees at a sun-splashed rally that drew a sea of people here, it brought the relationship of the men full circle.

 

What an emotional moment!

Hillary should get out there and tear up. She should talk, with her voice cracking, about how moved she was when the men embraced.

It was back in 2004 when Mr. Kerry selected Mr. Obama — then a state senator, vying for a United States Senate seat — to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. The speech elevated the stature of Mr. Obama almost overnight, launched the reprinting of his book, “Dreams From My Father,” and set his political career in overdrive.

Yes, Obama owes everything to Kerry.

I get the feeling Kerry is jealous of Oprah.