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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