Obama Endorsed By 9/11 Commission, Iraq Study Group Co-Chair Lee Hamilton

INDIANAPOLIS — Former Indiana Rep. Lee Hamilton endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president Wednesday, praising his ability to transcend partisan division and calling his foreign policy outlook "pragmatic, visionary, and tough."

Hamilton, who during a three-decade House career rose to be chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees, also was vice chairman of the Sept. 11 commission. His endorsement could boost the Democratic hopeful's national security standing.

"Barack Obama has the best opportunity to create a new sense of national unity and to transcend divisions within this country, not by ignoring them or smoothing them over, but by working together with candor and civility to meet our challenges," Hamilton said in a statement released by Obama's campaign.

On Obama's foreign policy stance, Hamilton said: "He will work with our friends and allies. Obama will strengthen our ability to use all the tools of American power, and relentlessly promote the American values of freedom and justice for all people."

Obama praised Hamilton for his leadership on the 9/11 Commission and the Iraq Study Group.

"Few public servants have done more to advance American foreign policy or to serve the people of Indiana, and I look forward to drawing on his counsel in the months ahead," Obama said in a statement.

Hamilton is best known as the top Democrat on the panel that investigated the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He also was co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan commission that assessed U.S. policy in Iraq.

Although Hamilton is not a Democratic superdelegate, his backing comes on the heels of several high-profile endorsements for Obama, who leads Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in delegates for the party's nomination. Sens. Bob Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota endorsed Obama in recent days.

Hamilton is the highest-profile Indiana Democrat to back Obama before the state's May 6 primary. Sen. Evan Bayh and the bulk of Indiana's Democratic Party leadership have campaigned actively for Clinton in a state where neither candidate is regarded as a natural front-runner.

Hamilton spent 34 years in Congress representing a southern Indiana district before retiring in 1999.

Hamilton now leads the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. In a speech there last year, written by a longtime aide to Hamilton, Obama warned Pakistan that he would use military force if necessary to root out terrorists.

Comments

[coolkraft]

cant wait to see hissyfit the dirtbag Bill from AK throws today....he will absolutely go mad now that he is not returning to the White House which he absolutely disgraced...still laughing over the Clintons having to return even the lampshades they stole when they left the White House

[LBKN]

I guess that put's an end to the "Comander-in Chief" arguement coming from the Hillbillys.

[trytruth]

We are so lucky to have a man like Obama running for President. My first vote was against Nixon. Sadly, most of my votes have been very AGAINST someone rather than REALLY for someone. I've been a political activist for 45 years and believe me, once in a lifetime are we fortunate to have an Obama to vote FOR.

[julianne]

Lee Hamilton is pulled out of the box when insane priorities take us to hell. He's played an important role in mitigating and enabling the foreign policy decisions that created so much of the violence and blowback coming from the Middle East and Asia that we experience today. He chaired the 9/11 Commission Report that told us Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald because he was in love with Jackie O. He 's always been a member of the Republican Party and served its pathological priorities and agendas. Democrats should be careful of Republican Godfather types while keeping their enemies close.

[bailey2006]

WOW! Care to share with us just where you got all this information?

[Cedman]

You new to this political stuff?

[cacique88]

When Henry Ford was asked why he was so successful he answered " I make sure to surround myself with people smarter than me"

A Chinese proverb says " A smart man learns for his mistakes, a wise man learns from the mistakes of others"

By serving as a magnet for change Obama can attract a spectrum of highly gifted people who can complement his team and build a powerful cabinet of forward thinking, innovative people. Obama breaks with the dogma and smug arrogance of traditional liberal thinking; he realizes that no one has the monopoly on the truth and good ideas can come from diverse sources.

http://spiritofobama.blogspot.com

[dr4Will]

this old man has dementia--like most of the media

[nick1936]

Yes who cares what these tired old men think

[IslandGyal]

You all only care when they endorse your candidate.

[rmetz74]

Man, the kooky posters are out in force today! Half of these comments have absolutely notning to do with the article.

I think endorsements mean more to the media than they do to the voters. That said, in endorsement-land, this is a good one, for people who care about substance over celebrity. Iraq is the number one issue in this eletcion, and Lee Hamilton knows more about it than almost anyone. I'm already an Obama supporter, but it means something to me to see other politicians I respect coming to the same conclusion.

[BoredAtWork16]

I thought the number one issue was the economy

[rmetz74]

I suppose it depends on who and when you ask. Maybe it would be more accurate to say Iraq is one of the top issues.

[Ted4]

Someone earlier said that Gov. Dean owes his Chairmanship to Bill Clinton. Not so. The insiders, and I assume that includes Clinton, wanted Fowler (whose father had been Chairman), but the grass roots pulled for Dean and the state chairmen around the country followed the lead of the grass roots. Fowler then backed out and Dean became chairman. You can look it up.

Dean has no favors to give the Clintons and in fact their minions have been attacking him constantly because he has not been giving into their demands. They want him to bend or ignore the rules re Florida and Michigan that would benefit Clinton and he refuses to do so.

Hamilton is a conservative and should give Obama a big boost in Indiana.

[BlueBoomer]

However it was that Howard Dean became head of the DNC, HE HAS BEEN A DISASTER...

He allowed the media to ignore all but HillBamWards in the debates and then he came up with an untenable response to Michigan and Florida... He could have told them to go ahead and have their primaries whenever they wanted to, but that their vote counts would not be released until their respective original primary dates (or another mutually agreed upon date somewhere in between), OR that their popular vote counts would be released, but not by precinct (i.e. the delegate counts.)

[victoriajubilee]

Some one fill me in . I just channel surfed over to Fox news and they said Al Gore has endorsed Senator Obama . Can someone confirm this because I dont believe anything Fox say ,they play a lot of jokes and give out false information,

[LeftLeanWing]

If Gore had endorsed Obama then trust me is would have been Splashed all over everywhere.

Fox makes shit up ,

[bailey2006]

It was an error. I am sure they have that banner in place and prepared to put it up WHEN Gore does back Obama. However, someone made a mistake and put it up instead of the banner they SHOULD have put up.

[HopeandChange]

Howard Dean has now announced that the SUPER DELEGATES, (They're super because they're chosen by Dean) can vote however they want. He called them "free agents". Remember how Dean got his job? Bill Clinton met privately with him and asked him to step out of the presidential race in '04. Then Bubba got him the job as Head of the DNC. Now Dean is going to repay the Clinton's by giving her the nomination. One hand washes the other.

[rmetz74]

I'm an Obama supporter, but I think that's silly. SD's ARE free agents, they have been since the party started using them in the eighties. And if Dean was working for Hillary, wouldn't he have found a way to seat the FL and MI delegates? Instead, he stuck to the rules, stayed out of it, and let the process play out. Conspiracy theories are tempting, but there's nothing to this one.

[richardsgirl]

The Super Delegates have ALWAYS had free will. The argument between the Clinton and Obama campaigns is about tradition. Senator Obama wants to uphold the tradition of Super Delegates voting in accordance with pledged delegates; and Senator Clinton wants the Super Delegates to forego tradition and to vote by popular votes. But this back and forth argument between their campaigns has never had any real bearing on the Super Delegates' choice to ultimately vote as they choose. What Howard Dean said does not favor either Obama or Clinton; he's simply stating a fact.

[nogop]

This more than offsets Murtha's endorsement of Swillery! Hamilton is a centrist Dem-but knows Obama is the guy for now! As for that fraud,Swillery--she's no Rocky Balboa-except they both LOST!! How dumb can her campaign guru's be??

[Kundera]

New BHO campaign slogan: HAVING CHILDREN IS A PUNISHMENT.

[ATL78]

Why I waste my time I don't know...BUT, having children is a punishment if you are a child who never had adequate education on how to protect yourself and how ridiculous it is for a child to have a child. And as I'm sure you know, that's what BO was discussing.

[HippieChick]

I won't waste my time responding to the person you responded to, but have you noticed how obsessed that person is with "children?" Frequent references to "children" in that person's postings. I can't help but wonder if that person is on a predator list...or should be.

[NotMyPrez]

What does that have to do with 9-11 commisions?

Kundera- flag on the field- ejected! Use of All Caps- 10 post detention!

[LeftLeanWing]

Recently I had a conversation with a child welfare advocate who spoke to me about an 11 year old girl and a 12 year boy who had just had a baby gitl together..... The 11-year girl can not take care of a baby ; so one of my friends duties was to teach this girl how to relate to her own baby. Something like 'It like a doll baby but it's for real'

Yes babies are blessings except when they're not.

[Wiredwilly]

Lee Hamilton knows they have Obama snowed on 9 / 11. Obama doesn't have a clue.
Watch the Aaron Russo interview about Nick Rockefeller on YouTube.

[HopeandChange]

Why won't Obama let his fans take his picture? If he's going to run for president as nothing more than a rock star, then pictures and autographs are part of it.

[rmetz74]

Obama has let THOUSANDS of people take his picture. No public figure lets anyone take a picture at any moment, especially one with such a crazy schedule and high security concerns. Stop being childish.

[omaro]

What on earth are you talking about? Didn't you see the photos all over the web of him posing for the little girl who saw him on the beach in the Virgin Islands? The many photos that show him standing in a group while people take his picture with their cell phones and other hand-held items? The photos of him signing all kinds of stuff (left-handed)? Or by "fans" do you mean a certain mayor of San Francisco who's carrying lots of baggage? Just asking.

[VitriolAndAngst]

I assumed that this was a made-up issue. That Barack does in fact. allow people to take pictures of him.

Ron Paul has about a page on his web site on his "solutions" to our economic woes. Some OK, some same old stuff for Libertarians. But he's had more coverage of his solutions by blog fans, than the pages Barack or Hillary have put out. A cartoon sketch versus an actual PLAN.

Yet, we get assaulted by the press that wants a horse race, and by people who don't want to admit that Liberals actually have a clue whereas Republicans merely have a scheme. So, not only do we have to defend real issues with Obama (who I'm only now warming up to after Kucinich and Edwards failed to win enough votes), but we have to defend imaginary issues.

There are REAL things that make me worry about Obama -- especially, the endorsement of a NeoCon or a flunky like this Lee Hamilton stooge. I'm waiting for Ted Bundy or Anne Coulter to endorse as well to fully embarrass our credibility. The NeoCons, if they wee smart (big if) should be endorsing Democrats left and right. Because nothing gets the taint spread around like an endorsement from a NeoCon.

"Obama doesn't like photos?" There isn't time enough in the day to deal with the fevered imaginings of these people. There could be a real skeleton in his closet, but these people are too busy keeping the door shut.

[VitriolAndAngst]

He released his tax returns... for crying out loud -- is there no tiny bit of detail that cannot be spun? Why doesn't Obam put ketchup on his eggs?
Who cares.

[Heavenhelpusall]

He may be a fan, but he is also a known ebay seller. Obama has a right to his image and the aveneues that it will be exploited.

[Teritt]

Hurry up November...I can't wait until this constant bickering between Obama & Hillary supporters ends (although I do admit to enjoying a lot of the wit).

I liked it much better when the criticisms were hurled at the current administration.