Jubilant Obama wins Kennedys' endorsement

Barack Obama didn't just win in South Carolina, he totally wiped out Hillary Clinton in a way which no poll predicted.

With 55% of the vote, he more than doubled the share commanded by Hillary Clinton. If the polls were wrong in New Hampshire, where Obama seemed to be ahead only to lose narrowly to Clinton on the night, they were more wrong in South Carolina. Most showed the Illinois senator leading in a race that seemed to be tightening; pundits thought he'd be lucky to win by a double-digit margin. Instead this was a landslide: Clinton trounced by 28 points.

Having proven that he could win in predominantly white Iowa, he now has proven that he can also do so in states with large African American constituencies.

The task ahead of him in defeating the Clinton juggernaut is still gargantuan, but he heads into Super Tuesday with a new endorsement ringing in his ears; that of the daughter of John F. Kennedy.

"I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them," Caroline Kennedy wrote in The New York Times. "But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president – not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans."

Heady stuff indeed.

That endorsement will be echoed by her uncle today as Senator Edward Kennedy announces his backing for the man who has emerged battle-hardened but victorious from South Carolina. Senator Kennedy, whose endorsement carries immense weight among Democrats, had vowed to stay out of the nomination but was swayed, his associates said, by the bitter tone of the contest.

Another indication that Bill's heavy handedness has alienated some Democrats.

Both the Clintons and their allies had pressed Mr. Kennedy for weeks to remain neutral in the Democratic race, but Mr. Kennedy had become increasingly disenchanted with the tone of the Clinton campaign, aides said. He and former President Bill Clinton had a heated telephone exchange earlier this month over what Mr. Kennedy considered misleading statements by Mr. Clinton about Mr. Obama, as well as his injection of race into the campaign.

Mr. Kennedy called Mr. Clinton Sunday to tell him of his decision.

However, I think part of what Clinton was doing was sending a more subtle message to his party. He is asking if Obama has what it takes to face down the Republican attack dog machine and reminding Democrats that, when it's time to roll up one's sleeves and get dirty, that he has proven he has the ability to do so.

Watching all this from abroad I have to say it's a fascinating spectacle. I love the soaring rhetoric of Obama and his ability to inspire audiences and whip up such enthusiasm. However, Clinton touches a nerve when he hints that the last thing the Democrats need is another noble leader who ultimately loses the election.

I personally think that Obama could easily see off a McCain or Romney challenge, especially as both seem to be determined continue many of the dismal policies which have made the Bush presidency such a calamitous failure, but - nagging right at the back of my head - the doubt is there.

And it's that doubt that Clinton keeps nudging. It's another example of why he's the most effective politician the US has produced in the last thirty years. And it contributes to making the Democratic battle such a fascinating spectacle, even to someone across the ocean with no vote.

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Tags: Clinton, Obama, South Carolina, Super Tuesday, democratic nomination