Obama Endorsements on The Huffington Post

Former GOP Congressman Endorses Obama

2008-11-03T18:01:17Z

Former U.S. Rep. Harris Fawell, a stalwart of DuPage County Republican politics, is endorsing Barack Obama for president.

Fawell, whose support for Obama was first reported by Michael Sneed in the Sun-Times, praised Obama as "the best I've seen" in the Naperville Sun:

Harris Fawell, former congressman for the 13th Congressional District, is backing a Democrat for president for the first time in his life. The 79-year-old Republican said there's a good chance that Obama will carry the county.

"He's the best I have seen, the most qualified I've ever seen running for president," Fawell said.

Dick Cheney's Hometown Paper Endorses Obama

2008-11-03T10:21:52Z

For the past six weeks, we have chronicled the landslide in newspaper endorsements for Barack Obama (our new daily will be ready in a short bit here). Included in this have been well over 50 daily papers that have switched from backing Bush in 2004 to supporting Obama this year. Then there are the embarrassments such as the largest paper in Alaska, The Anchorage Daily Times, also endorsing Obama.

Now comes another signal: This morning, Dick Cheney's hometown paper in Wyoming, the Casper Star-Tribune, switched to Obama.

Obama Support Could Get Police Superintendent Reprimanded

2008-10-31T09:00:45Z

A Chicago alderman wants police Supt. Jody Weis to be disciplined for making a statement in a TV interview earlier this month that seemed to support Barack Obama's candidacy.

Earlier this year, the department reprimanded a detective who campaigned for Ald. Tom Allen (38th) in his failed race for Cook County state's attorney. The department found the detective had violated a rule barring officers from engaging in partisan activity while wearing the uniform or identifying themselves as officers.

"What's good for the goose is good for the gander," said Allen. "If they're going to play games with me politically and hurt good people I've known for 25 years, touche. He should face whatever the penalty is."

Stephen Colbert Endorses (But Does Not Support) Barack Obama (VIDEO)

2008-10-30T11:08:31Z

Faced with an overwhelming number of prominent conservatives receiving media face time for endorsing Obama, last night Stephen Colbert did the only sensible thing a prominent conservative egotist could do. He endorsed Obama. The move worked (as evidenced by the existence of this post) but Colbert also noted that in this terrible economy, the endorsement might come in handy after he loses his job and applies "to get a job running the combine at the new national farm collective" that President Obama would implement. Colbert also notes that he will still be voting for John McCain.

WATCH:

Anchorage Daily News Endorses Obama

2008-10-26T09:19:49Z

Alaska enters its 50th-anniversary year in the glow of an improbable and highly memorable event: the nomination of Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate. For the first time ever, an Alaskan is making a serious bid for national office, and in doing so she brings broad attention and recognition not only to herself, but also to the state she leads.

Alaska's founders were optimistic people, but even the most farsighted might have been stretched to imagine this scenario. No matter the outcome in November, this election will mark a signal moment in the history of the 49th state. Many Alaskans are proud to see their governor, and their state, so prominent on the national stage.

"Bernanke Endorses Obama," WSJ Says

2008-10-22T09:22:05Z

Ben Bernanke apparently wants four more years as Federal Reserve Chairman. At least that's a reasonable conclusion after Mr. Bernanke all but submitted his job application to Barack Obama yesterday by endorsing the Democratic version of fiscal "stimulus."

While the Fed chief said any stimulus should be "well targeted," even a general endorsement amounts to a political green light. Mr. Bernanke certainly knows that Mr. Obama and Democrats on Capitol Hill are talking about some $300 billion in new "stimulus" spending, while President Bush and Republicans are resisting. And by saying any help should "limit longer-term effects" on the federal deficit, he had to know he was reinforcing Democratic opposition to permanent tax cuts.

Mr. Bernanke could have begged off -- and would have been wiser to do so -- given how much the Fed has already made itself a political lightning rod with its many Wall Street interventions. He might also have thought twice about endorsing one party's policy preferences a mere two weeks before Election Day given his obligation to preserve the Fed's independence. We can remember when tougher Fed chairmen used to refrain from adjusting interest rates close to an election for fear of seeming to be political; they would never have dreamed of meddling in campaign tax and spending debates.

London's Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson Endorses Obama

2008-10-21T14:53:04Z

LONDON — The mayor of London, a member of the British political party that is a traditional ally of U.S. Republicans, says Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama "visibly incarnates change and hope, at a time when America desperately needs both."

In an article for Tuesday's edition of The Daily Telegraph newspaper, London Mayor Boris Johnson of the center-right Conservative Party was blunt in his assessment of President Bush's legacy and how an Obama presidency would break from it.

Josh Brusin: Will the GOP Lose Gracefully?

2008-10-20T15:17:04Z

While it's far from over, there is definitely a chance that the GOP will lose this upcoming election. They might not only lose the presidential election but also lose seats in the House and Senate. It's interesting to see how the party handles these races and whether they acknowledge the brand issues of the GOP or not.

It seems, thus far, they hope that individual candidates can succeed on their own merits and have not tried to mold the party message at all, leaving it focused on the base. What that means for rhetoric leading up to these elections in just over 2 weeks is going to be interesting.

What I've seen as an Independent turned Democrat this year has been extremely polarizing and will certainly be bad for the GOP as a party. From horribly racist mailers, to robo-calls that insinuate that Obama is in league with terrorists, to Michele Bachmann's assertion that liberals are America-haters. How can these efforts do anything other than motivate their base? It seems to be having the opposite effect. It's turning off life-long Republicans from GOP Senator Gordon Smith to Hollywood Republican Dennis Hopper to Bush cabinet member Colin Powell. What it must be doing to the middle-politic of American voters could very well be deadly to the GOP. If this rhetoric keeps up and the GOP base gets angrier and angrier and more and more frustrated, their losses will keep increasing. It sets a precedent for the GOP activist base as to what is allowable to say. When your national candidates repeat the "palling around with terrorists" smear and it enrages the crowds to hatred, you are not only ruining your chances of winning, you are putting country last.

It's surprising, given the down-trending polls regarding negative attack-style ads, that McCain didn't at least engage voters in additional ways. Obama fields his share of attack ads and considering his media spend it ends up being more in quantity than McCain. The problem for McCain is that Obama is at the same time hanging his shingle on Hope, Healthcare, Middle Class Tax Reform, Ending the War, Returning America to its Place in the World... etc. They're capitalized because they are and have been major headline-themes of the Obama campaign. He has advertised and spoken (eloquently as McCain says) about them early and often.

What does McCain hang his shingle on? Bill Ayers? Joe the $250,000 a year Plumber? He seems to have forgotten quality GOP areas like Entitlements vs. block grants, Curbing deficit spending, letting states take care of their own business... who knows their business better than they do? etc.

Of course maybe that's because after a decade of one party rule these are all issues that they feel they have failed on and thus they can no longer talk about. But we really don't know that because they haven't really even tried.

Google CEO Schmidt Backs Obama, Will Campaign

2008-10-20T13:17:25Z

Google Inc. Chief Executive Eric Schmidt will hit the campaign trail this week on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, signaling Mr. Schmidt's push for a greater voice in politics while giving the Obama campaign a boost from a highly desirable constituency.
[Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt in Washington earlier this year. He plans to campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.] Getty Images

Although the Internet-search company has numerous issues pending on Capitol Hill, Mr. Schmidt said in an interview that "I'm doing this personally," adding that "Google is officially neutral" in the campaign.

Mr. Schmidt said his planned endorsement of the Illinois senator is a "natural evolution" from his role as an informal adviser to the Obama campaign.

Michael Smerconish: I've Decided....

2008-10-19T10:10:16Z

I've decided.

My conclusion comes after reading the candidates' memoirs and campaign platforms, attending both party conventions, interviewing both men multiple times, and watching all primary and general-election debates.

John McCain is an honorable man who has served his country well. But he will not get my vote. For the first time since registering as a Republican 28 years ago, I'm voting for a Democrat for president. I may have been an appointee in the George H.W. Bush administration, and master of ceremonies for George W. Bush in 2004, but last Saturday I stood amid the crowd at an Obama event in North Philadelphia.

Five considerations have moved me:

Terrorism. The candidates disagree as to where to prosecute the war against Islamic fundamentalists. Barack Obama is correct in saying the front line in that battle is not Iraq, it's the Afghan-Pakistan border. Osama bin Laden crossed that border from Tora Bora in December 2001, and we stopped pursuit. The Bush administration outsourced the hunt for bin Laden and instead invaded Iraq.

No one in Iraq caused the death of 3,000 Americans on 9/11. Our invasion was based on a false predicate, so we have no business being there, regardless of whether the surge is working. Our focus must be the tribal-ruled FATA region in Pakistan. Only recently has our military engaged al-Qaeda there in operations that mirror those Obama was ridiculed for recommending in August 2007.

Last spring, Obama told me: "It's not that I was opposed to war [in Iraq]. It's that I felt we had a war that we had not finished." Even Sen. Joe Lieberman conceded to me last Friday that "the headquarters of our opposition, our enemies today" is the FATA.

Economy. We face economic problems that are incomprehensible to most Americans, certainly they are to me. This is a time to covet intellect, and that begins at the top. Jack Bogle, the legendary founder of the Vanguard Group, told me recently that McCain's assertion that the fundamentals of the economy were "strong" was the "stupidest statement of 2008." In light of the unprecedented volatility in the market, who can dispute Bogle's characterization and the lack of understanding that McCain's assessment portends?

VP. I opined here that Sarah Palin demonstrated the capacity to be president in her speech to the Republican convention. Sadly, there has been no further exhibition of her abilities, and she remains an unknown quantity. We are left questioning the judgment of a candidate who bypassed his reported preferred choices, Lieberman and former Gov. Tom Ridge, and instead yielded to the whims of the periphery of his party. With two wars and a crumbling economy, Palin is too big of a risk to be a heartbeat away from a presidency held by a 72-year-old man who has battled melanoma. Advantage Joe Biden.

Opportunity. In a speech delivered on Father's Day, Obama lamented that too many fathers are missing from the lives of too many children and mothers. Look no further than Philadelphia for proof that the nation has a fatherhood problem at the root of its firearms crisis. And no demographic is affected by this confluence of factors like the black community. Among the many elements needed to address this crisis are role models, individuals whom urban youth can aspire to emulate. Little more than a year ago, Charles Barkley told me: "I want young black kids to see Barack on television every day. . . . We need to see more blacks who are intelligent, articulate, and who carry themselves with great dignity." Obama can be that man.

Hope. Wednesday morning will come and an Obama presidency holds the greatest chance for unifying us here at home and restoring our prestige around the globe. The campaigns have foretold the kind of presidency we can expect from each candidate. Last Friday in Lakeville, Minn., McCain himself had to explain to a supporter who was "scared" of an Obama presidency that those fears were unfounded. Another told McCain that Obama was untrustworthy because he is an "Arab." Those exchanges were a predictable byproduct of ads against Obama featuring tag lines such as "Too Risky for America" and "Dangerous," and a failure to rein in individuals at McCain events who highlighted Obama's middle name, all against a background of Internet lore.

Last Saturday at Progress Plaza, I heard Obama say: "The American people aren't looking for somebody to divide this country; the American people are looking for someone to lead this country."

This originally appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer

Chicago Sun-Times Endorses Obama

2008-10-17T20:45:00Z

UPDATE

The Sun-Times published its endorsement of Barack Obama on its Web site Friday night:

Our endorsement for President of the United States goes to Sen. Barack Obama, Chicago's adopted son. He has the unique background, superior intellect, professional accomplishments and first-rate temperament to lead our nation in difficult times.

The Sun-Times references Obama's Chicago entanglements, an area the Chicago Tribune avoided entirely in its unprecedented endorsement:

Sen. Obama climbed the ladder of Chicago Democratic politics -- from community organizer to state senator to U.S. senator -- while dodging the tag of "machine made." He developed alliances with the old Harold Washington coalition, but also with party stalwarts like State Sen. Emil Jones. He mostly steered clear of unwise political entanglements, and on those rare occasions when he did use poor judgment he grew from the mistake. Specifically, the senator learned the enormous importance of transparency in politics when he was dogged by questions about his relationship with Tony Rezko, the political fixer. When he finally sat down with the Sun-Times Editorial Board and answered every question, the Rezko story lost its steam.

Ultimately, the paper concludes, Obama is "America's best hope":

Our next president must be a person of steady temperament, superb judgment and compassion. He must stand tall for America, first and always, but be unafraid to listen to the world. He must demand the best in us.

In Barack Obama, we see America's best hope for a president who is right for the times.

-----------------
The Chicago Sun-Times will endorse Barack Obama for president in Sunday's paper.

The Sun-Times announced the selection in a banner notice on its Web site Friday afternoon, shortly after the Chicago Tribune released its own endorsement of Obama, the first time in that paper's 161-year history it has backed a Democrat for president.

The banner, which reads simply: "Chicago Sun-Times Endorses Barack Obama For President" urges readers to to pick up a copy of Sunday's paper to "read the details."

Obama Nearly Endorsed By Chicago Police Superintendent

2008-10-17T18:52:24Z

Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis appeared to endorse Barack Obama during an interview with ABC 7 earlier this week.

In a story about the demands placed on Chicago police to secure Obama's Hyde Park home, Weis told reporter Chuck Goudie that the department is happy to absorb the extra work, which requires six officers and at least five patrol cars be stationed around the home 24-hours-a-day (emphasis added):

He's our senator and he's hopefully going to be our next president, so it's an honor to serve and protect his home.

Watch the report here.

Chicago Tribune Endorses Obama

2008-10-17T16:11:12Z

The Chicago Tribune endorsed Barack Obama Friday, marking the first time in the paper's 161-year history it has backed a Democrat for president.

The unsigned editorial, which was published on the paper's Web site Friday afternoon, wasted little time establishing the historic moment of the election and substantiating its choice by tying Obama to Abraham Lincoln, whose presidency is at the core of the Tribune's identity.

The opening section:

However this election turns out, it will dramatically advance America's slow progress toward equality and inclusion. It took Abraham Lincoln's extraordinary courage in the Civil War to get us here. It took an epic battle to secure women the right to vote. It took the perseverance of the civil rights movement. Now we have an election in which we will choose the first African-American president . . . or the first female vice president.
[...]
On Nov. 4 we're going to elect a president to lead us through a perilous time and restore in us a common sense of national purpose.

The strongest candidate to do that is Sen. Barack Obama. The Tribune is proud to endorse him today for president of the United States.

The editorial acknowledged the paper's deep conservative roots, noting that one of the Tribune's founders, Joseph Medill, also helped to found the Republican Party:

The editorial page has been a proponent of conservative principles. It believes that government has to serve people honestly and efficiently.

But those "conservative principles" have been lost in the current Republican Party, the paper reasoned:

The Republican Party, the party of limited government, has lost its way. The government ran a $237 billion surplus in 2000, the year before Bush took office -- and recorded a $455 billion deficit in 2008. The Republicans lost control of the U.S. House and Senate in 2006 because, as we said at the time, they gave the nation rampant spending and Capitol Hill corruption. They abandoned their principles. They paid the price.

John McCain, whom the Tribune endorsed in the Republican primary, did not convince the editorial board that he was capable of restoring those principles:

McCain failed in his most important executive decision. Give him credit for choosing a female running mate--but he passed up any number of supremely qualified Republican women who could have served. Having called Obama not ready to lead, McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. His campaign has tried to stage-manage Palin's exposure to the public. But it's clear she is not prepared to step in at a moment's notice and serve as president. McCain put his campaign before his country.

The Tribune praised Obama as a "University of Chicago Democrat" and promised to "provide some assurance" to Americans wary of the Illinois Senator:

We have known Obama since he entered politics a dozen years ago. We have watched him, worked with him, argued with him as he rose from an effective state senator to an inspiring U.S. senator to the Democratic Party's nominee for president.

We have tremendous confidence in his intellectual rigor, his moral compass and his ability to make sound, thoughtful, careful decisions. He is ready.

Editorial page editor Bruce Dold said he is "as proud of our endorsement of Obama" as he is of its endorsement of Lincoln:

In a story that accompanied the endorsement, editorial board member Paul Weingarten explained how the decision was reached:

There was a 90-minute discussion of the editorial board, which included Tribune publisher Tony Hunter and Tribune editor Gerould Kern. There were passionate, but respectful arguments on both sides. Everyone spoke. There was no shouting. What emerged was a clear consensus of the board in favor of Obama. Hunter, Kern and editorial page editor Bruce Dold agreed on that final decision. Dold wrote the endorsement.

Dold said Tribune Company CEO Sam Zell had no involvement in the endorsement.

Obama Scores 15 Newspaper Endorsements On Sunday, McCain Zero

2008-10-12T23:24:20Z

Barack Obama picked up at least 15 newspaper endorsements this weekend, including six in swing states Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina and Missouri. John McCain, as far as we know, gained none.

The Wisconsin State Journal and The Sun of San Bernardino had backed Bush in 2004. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch called Obama's opponent, John McCain, "the incredible shrinking man" who had made a horrific pick for his running mate.

Backing Obama: In Ohio, The Blade in Toledo and the Dayton Daily News; the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Tennessean of Nashville, the Wisconsin State Journal. the Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times, and in California the Fresno Bee, Sacramento Bee, Contra Costa Times, The Herald of Monterrey, and The Sun of San Bernardino (which had picked Bush over Kerry).

Paper Endorses First Democrat For President In 72 Years: Obama

2008-09-28T16:18:38Z

The Record, of Stockton, California, may not be the most well-known of newspapers, but they have been, for a number of decades, one of the most consistent. The last time the paper endorsed a Democrat for the White House, the year was 1936 and the lucky endorsee was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Since then, the closest a Democrat has come was in 1992, when they endorsed neither Bill Clinton nor George H. W. Bush to send a message that "a larger role for the third-party candidate" was warranted.

That's all changed over the weekend, in a move the California paper describes as a turning of the "tide":

For the first time in 72 years, The Record is endorsing a Democrat for president.

Franklin D. Roosevelt got our nod in 1936.

The reasons for the endorsement of Barack Obama over John McCain are articulated in the editorial on this page.

The unanimous decision was made by our editorial board, which consists of Publisher Roger W. Coover, Managing Editor Donald W. Blount, Opinion Page Editor Eric Grunder, Human Resources Director Sandi Johnson and me.

There are many who will question - with some validity - the power or value of such an endorsement. Our decision is hardly going to tip the balance in a competitive presidential election.

In their endorsement, the Record writes:

Barack Obama is our choice for president of the United States.

He has demonstrated time and again he can think on his feet. More importantly, he has demonstrated he will think things through, seek advice and actually listen to it.

Obama is a gifted speaker. But in addition to his smarts and energy, possibly his greatest gift is his ability to inspire.

For eight years, American politics has been marked by smears, fears and greed. For too long, we've practiced partisanship in Washington, not politics. The result is a cynicism every bit as deep as that which infected the nation when Richard Nixon was shamed from office and when Bill Clinton brought shame to the office.

This must end, but John McCain can't do it. He can't inspire, nor can he really break from a past that is breaking this nation.

[Read the rest of the Record's endorsement.]

Bryan Young: Former Presidential Candidate Endorses Obama

2008-08-18T21:49:54Z

Former Presidential Candidate Savage Dragon announced today his intention to endorse the presumptive Democratic nominee, Barack Obama. Some of you may remember the Dragon's ill-fated 2004 run at the presidency in which he backed out when he discovered his running mate to be the evil Dreadknight, a supervillain with global domination on his mind.

Savage Dragon has come out to endorse the one major candidate he's sure isn't a supervillain, Barack Obama.

In a release sent out to the press, Savage Dragon creator Erik Larson said, "Fans have asked if he'll be running again, but given the importance of the upcoming election it seemed appropriate that he would back Barack Obama, the candidate whose politics most reflect his own. Savage Dragon will be giving Barack Obama his full support."

Issue #137 of Savage Dragon will be available for sale September 3rd at comic-book stores everywhere. One in five issues will have the above pictured Obama cover.

Aside from his failed presidential bid, this isn't the first time Savage Dragon has taken a swing in the political arena. Issue #119 (pictured below) featured the Dragon taking a swing at the 43rd President of the United States. Once again, another intriguing measure of the political landscape with the barometer of comic books.

(Bryan Young is the producer of Killer at Large and writes about comic books at Big Shiny Robot!)

Gerald McEntee: Obama for President

2008-06-19T15:45:48Z

Barack Obama has mobilized a historic movement to reclaim the greatness of America. With his leadership, our nation will rise up to rebuild the middle class at home and restore America's reputation in the world.

This election, the choice could not be clearer: We can elect a champion for working families or we can elect John McCain and have four more years of George W. Bush's disastrous policies. When you look at McCain's record on the issues instead of his rhetoric on the stump, it's obvious that he's just another Bush.

McCain and the high-priced lobbyists who run his campaign promise us four more years of destructive economic policies at home and 100 more years of occupation in Iraq. We need a change now!

That's why the International Executive Board of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, today unanimously endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States.

AFSCME will mobilize more members and invest more resources than ever before to help Senator Obama win the White House. We will turn out an army of 40,000 AFSCME activists to knock on doors, make phone calls, and talk with their co-workers and neighbors to produce an unprecedented turnout in the 2008 election.

Barack Obama is a proven fighter on the issues our members care about most, such as ending privatization, providing state and local fiscal relief, fully funding and supporting public services and the workers who provide them, and guaranteeing that everyone in our country has quality, affordable health care they can count on.

Barack Obama will change the direction of our country and end the Bush era of corruption and incompetence that has led to increased unemployment and home foreclosures, higher gas prices and grocery bills, in addition to putting health care and college out of reach for millions of America's working families.

During the primary season, AFSCME showed that when we make an endorsement, we back it up with everything we've got. That is exactly what we're going to do until November to elect Barack Obama and take back the White House for America's working families.

We are proud of our members' efforts over the past months in support of Senator Hillary Clinton. They worked their hearts out. We completely agree with Senator Clinton that: "The way to continue our fight now -- to accomplish the goals for which we stand -- is to take our energy, our passion, our strength and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama the next President of the United States."

As a U.S. senator, Barack Obama has been a strong advocate for critically important legislation to help working families. This includes bills opposed by Senator McCain, such as the Employee Free Choice Act, which would enable more Americans to improve their lives by joining a union to negotiate for better wages and benefits, and expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to provide health coverage for an additional 10 million children from low-income families. Senator Obama also opposes McCain's plans to privatize Social Security and vital public services.

This election is about rebuilding America's middle class, providing affordable, quality health care for all and ending the war in Iraq. It's about prosperity and opportunity, and giving us a government that responds to the needs of the American people. It's about combating the greed of corporations and their hired hands who run the Republican Party and set its bankrupt agenda. It's about rising up and reclaiming the great promise of America, a nation conceived in liberty where men and women who work hard and play by the rules can get ahead and give their children a better life.

Barack Obama has the experience, judgment and strength to reinvigorate our economy and resurrect the American Dream.

Mine Workers union endorses Obama for president

2008-05-21T11:35:57Z

WASHINGTON — The United Mine Workers of America endorsed Barack Obama for president Wednesday despite his recent defeats in primaries in coal-producing states where many of the union's members vote.

The endorsement continues organized labor's swing over to the Democratic front-runner as the primaries wrap up. Obama lost heavily to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in Tuesday's Kentucky primary and last week's West Virginia primary.

Superdelegate Endorsements Follow Primary Contests

2008-05-21T10:57:46Z

Hillary Clinton received an endorsement from add-on Ohio superdelegate Craig Bashein this morning:

"Hillary brings a wealth of proven experience in both domestic and foreign policy that provides a great sense of confidence and security in our future," Bashein said. "She has the strength and determination to beat John McCain this Fall."

And Obama has been endorsed by Connecticut Rep. Joe Courtney.

Obama Superdelegates: Waxman And Berman

2008-05-15T14:00:36Z

Two big representative endorsements for Barack Obama today: Rep. Henry Waxman and Rep. Howard Berman. It brings today's number of superdelegate endorsements up to 4.

"Senator Obama's vision for change has inspired tens of millions of Americans," Chairman Waxman said. "And he's also proved that he has the experience, judgment, integrity, and toughness to bring real reform to Washington. Our nation faces big challenges. We need to bring our troops safely home from Iraq. We need to solve global warming and finally enact universal health care legislation. And we need to create new jobs and strengthen our middle class. Senator Obama is the leader we need both here and around the world. He will be an extraordinary President, and I look forward to working with him to make his vision for change the new reality in Washington."

"Barack Obama has laid out a foreign policy vision driven by principle and conviction, and he understands that our moral authority and our safety as a nation go hand in hand," Chairman Berman said. "I spoke with him about a number of foreign policy issues that most concern me. He assured me that he shares my views. The moment President Obama takes office, we'll send a powerful message to the world that America is back and ready to lead again--that we haven't abandoned the values that made us the light of the world, and neither should anyone else."

Superdelegates Continue To Flow To Obama

2008-05-14T08:44:56Z

Despite Hillary Clinton's sizable victory in West Virginia last night, the Obama camp has rolled out two more superdelegates this morning. Rep. Pete Visclosky (IN) has endorsed the Illinois senator, as well as Christine Schon Marques. Marques, the chair of the Democrats Abroad, is assigned .5 votes at the Democratic convention.

UPDATE: The two remaining college-aged superdelegates have also endorsed Obama, via a Youtube posting last night.

[WATCH]

UPDATE: Looks like Hillary has landed herself a superdelegate: Vicky Harwell, president of the Tennessee Federation of Democratic Women.

UPDATE: Obama picks up the Oklahoma State Senate Pro Tempore

Read statements below from the superdelegates:

[Visclosky]

"America needs a President who offers a vision of the future comprised of sensible solutions to today's troubles. My choice is Senator Barack Obama, who promises to seek pragmatic, progressive solutions to problems like jobs, Iraq, the energy crisis, and healthcare. Barack Obama will bring people together, give them hope, spur change, and set the U.S. back on a course toward progress, prosperity, and global leadership."

[Marques]

"As a Democrat abroad, I've seen the repercussions of the Republican Administration every day, in the diminished reputation of the United States and in the lack of real leadership both at home and abroad, from the economy to the war in Iraq," said Schon Marques. "I'm proud to be a Democrat, and proud of both our candidates. Today I pledge my support to Senator Barack Obama because I believe that he will take our country in the right direction, he will restore America's reputation, he will honor the men and women who are bravely serving our country, and he will reach out to Americans across the country and around the world. I hope that voters overseas join me in registering today at www.VoteFromAbroad.org so that all our voices are heard this November."

[Harwell]

"Hillary's decisive victory in West Virginia is the latest evidence that she is the strongest candidate to take on John McCain and win back the White House," Harwell said. "Hillary has the plans, leadership and experience to deliver real results as President."