Senator Barack Obama continues to gain momentum in the Democratic primary race. The Illinois Senator received an endorsement from a new democratic superdelegate this morning, helping solidify his lead over Democratic rival Senator Hillary Clinton.

The Washington Post is reporting that Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota declared her support for Barack Obama this morning. Senator Obama won Minnesota handily in that state’s February primary. Klobuchar applauded Senator Obama’s character and presidential campaign, saying that the Illinois Senator brings a “new perspective and inspiring a real excitement.”

Senator Klobuchar’s endorsement continues the growing trend toward Democratic Party superdelegates supporting Senator Obama. This past week, Senator Pat Leahy of Vermont went so far as to call on Hillary Clinton to drop out of the race for the good of the Democratic Party. While Senator Leahy’s comments can be easily dismissed, it is clear that Obama has the momentum for the time being, and barring any extreme revelations, is likely to finish the Democratic primary ahead in both the delegate count and the popular vote.

But while some leading Democrats have been calling on Hillary Clinton to quit the race, Senator Obama himself has been taking a very different approach over the last few weeks, encouraging Senator Clinton to continue campaigning. Obama publicly stated that the continuing primary campaign “Battle” would not damage the Democratic Party in the general election in November, but would result in a stronger candidate to face Republican nominee John McCain.

Meanwhile, Senator Hillary Clinton has begun speaking publicly about the controversy over Obama’s former minister’s controversial statements from the pulpit. Mrs. Clinton said that “moving” to a different church would have been the correct response. Overall though, it doesn’t seem that the controversy over Reverent Wright has been particularly damaging to the Obama campaign.

The Clinton campaign, however, was clearly damaged this past week, after Senator Clinton gave a speech claiming that she visited Bosnia as first lady under warlike conditions, and arrived “under sniper fire,” without any reception on the ground. Senator Clinton had to eat her words when video emerged of the trip, clearly showing Senator Clinton arriving in a relaxed manner, and being greeted by hundreds of officials and well-wishers. She even stopped to talk with a small children who greeted her on the runway.

Critics have called Mrs. Clinton’s account of her Bosnia trip “a whopper,” implying that she embellished the story in order to seem more presidential. Whether the fabricated story was intentional, or simply a “confused memory,” it appears to have done some political damage at a time when Senator Clinton’s campaign could really use a break.

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Republican presidential hopeful Senator John McCain recently returned from a diplomatic trip to the Middle East and Europe. Speaking to the World Affairs Council this week, he emphasized the need for greater diplomacy, saying “our great power does not mean we can do whatever we want, whenever we want…”

McCain’s words are a stark contrast to the diplomatic style of the Bush administration, which has been often seen as acting unilaterally and in an arrogant manner when dealing with other nations. Senator McCain seems to be drawing a clear contrast between his leadership style and that of George W. Bush.

Under the Bush administration, even many of America’s closest allies have felt alienated. Longtime allies (and NATO members) such as Norway, and Denmark saw their relationships strained with the US, and citizens in many countries held huge protests against the Iraq war, and against the overall foreign-policy of the Bush administration.

Even our neighbor to the north, Canada, began to see the United States as more of an adversary then an ally. All of these changes took place at a time when the US needed international support and cooperation more than ever. But with the Bush/Cheney era about to end, all three of the current presidential hopefuls are laying out plans to mend the frayed relationships with our allies.

Democratic senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have both blasted the Bush administration for its arrogant and shortsighted foreign-policy decisions, including the war in Iraq. But until recently, Senator Jon McCain has refused to speak out publicly against the foreign-policy of the Bush/Cheney administration. Senator McCain’s comments after returning from Europe and the Middle East showed that he clearly has a different foreign-policy agenda, and a different style of “getting things done in the world.”

Though McCain has been careful not to be overly critical of George W. Bush, he has acknowledged that the image of the United States around the world has been damaged by a war in Iraq, and other foreign-policy blunders of the last seven years.

McCain’s “diplomacy first” comments may not play well with the conservative base of the Republican Party. In fact, the right wing of the party hasn’t exactly warmed up to the idea of a McCain presidency so far, and many hard-core conservatives see McCain as far too “independent,” and too willing to break from the established Republican Party line for the sake of achieving his objectives.

Of course, many voters perceive this to be McCain’s greatest strength. He at least gives the appearance of a politician who is willing to put the good of the nation before the good of his party — something we could use a lot more of in this country.

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