Awais Khaleel

UW-Madison student and Wisconsin super delegate Awais Khaleel finally made public his support for Barack Obama, YouTube-style.

Maybe he grew tired of being courted by Bill Clinton and Madeleine Albright. Maybe he decided it wasn't worth trying to milk his super delegate status any longer.

By the way, Russ Feingold still remains uncommitted as a super delegate. I guess he's still enjoying the attention from the Obama and Hillary campaigns.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said today that Awais Khaleel, a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention and the vice president of College Democrats of America, has endorsed Obama.

...Khaleel's decision leaves only three Wisconsin superdelegates who have not announced whether they are supporting Obama or Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) for the party's presidential nomination. That does not include Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), a superdelegate who has not said he would support at the convention but who noted he had voted for Obama in the state's February presidential primary.

Khaleel announced his decision in a video posted on YouTube. He appears in the video with College Democrats president Lauren Wolfe.

From Obama's website:

Today, the College Democrats of America (CDA) President and Vice President endorsed Barack Obama, citing his ability to inspire young voters to become a part of the political process, and the record numbers of young voters who have come out to the polls during this election season.

CDA President Lauren Wolfe said, "We reached out to college students nationwide through Facebook, MySpace and YouTube and the responses were overwhelming. College students want change - and Senator Obama offers an opportunity for all of us to move forward in this country to talk about the issues that matter. We've struggled under the burden of college loans that pile up day by day; while the average casualty age for an American soldier in Iraq is 21. Young people are the ones paying the price for George Bush's failed leadership. Senator Obama offers us a new beginning and wants to make our voices heard in our government."

"We are ready to roll up our sleeves for Senator Obama by working with Students for Barack Obama and the millions of students ready for change."

CDA Vice President Awais Khaleel said, "As college students, we've come of age under the failed leadership of George W. Bush and we are excited that we finally have a candidate who speaks to our issues. Senator Obama is talking about the issues we care about as college students – whether that's college affordability or ending the Iraq War.

"We've heard from thousands of youth voices through Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and email. Without a doubt, college students are ready for change and a new kind of leadership. Senator Obama empowers our voices and makes us feel like an important part of the process. That is why we support him to be the next president of the United States."

Senator Barack Obama said, "At this defining moment in our nation's history -- a moment when we can finally come together and bring about the change that is so desperately needed in this country -- I am proud to accept the support of the College Democrats of America's President and Vice President - Lauren Wolfe and Awais Khaleel. The College Democrats represent the future and their work is critical to a Democratic victory in November. They have worked hard to organize at the grassroots, energize their college campuses, and mobilize students for change. During this primary, young people have proven to be an incredibly powerful force at the polls and I am grateful for their support. I look forward to working with the College Democrats to continue building our grassroots movement for change in colleges and universities across the country."

You've got to love the timing of this.

On the heels of being embarrassingly blown out by Hillary in the West Virginia primary, the Obama campaign is ready to counter with super delegate endorsements from the College Democrats.

The message: Don't pay attention to the voters in West Virginia. Don't pay attention to how Obama was so solidly rejected. Watch Wolfe and Khaleel's YouTube video instead.

What a coincidence that the video was released today!

Some observations about the video:

--The video doesn't look like Wolfe and Khaleel slapped it together. The video didn't just show up at Obama campaign headquarters today.

--Hillary isn't depicted negatively. There are a number of flattering photos of her and of her and Obama together. Everyone is smiling.

--There's definitely an effort to reach out to Hillary's supporters.

--Though Wolfe and Khaleel are energetic and smiling, there's a hostage vibe to the video. The bare walls backgrounds and the way they read their lines, their eyes lowered as they read their scripts, give it a weird feel.



Among the photos of Obama rallies and a beaming Hillary and the images of Wolfe and Khaleel reading, I expected to see a clip of al Qaeda trainees on monkey bars.