cross-posted at Election Inspection
In a demonstration of his cross over appeal, Barack Obama recieved the endorsement of former Republican Senator Lincoln Chaffee today stating that Obama is “the best candidate to restore American credibility”.
Lincoln Chaffee lost his senate seat to Sheldon Whitehouse in the 2006 anti-GOP wave despite his enormous in state popularity. While Chaffee is not a super delegate for Democrats, his endorsement will get significant play on the local media in Rhode Island.
While not a particularly large state, Rhode Island will in fact gets its share of political posturing as its delegates will be extremely important here in the home stretch where every delegate will matter.
This is great news. I had a feeling Chafee would support Obama, although I didn’t know whether it would be announced or simply tacit. Chafee’s forthcoming memoir completely eviscerates all the senators, both Republican and Democratic, who voted to authorize the Iraq War. (He himself was the only Republican senator to oppose the authorization). So, it makes sense that Chafee, who has since dropped his party affiliation and become an independent, is supporting the only candidate in the race who went on record opposing the war at its outset.