Kerry Snubs Edwards, Clinton… Endorses Obama

The big news today with the 2008 Presidential race was John Kerry’s endorsement of Barack Obama for president over Hillary Clinton, whose husband campaigned for him in 2004, and his former running John Edwards.

It’s hard to ignore the significance of the snubs, but what also needs to be looked at is the timing of the endorsement.

Barack Obama is absolutely unelectable in the General Election, and I still have my doubts on whether the Democratic Party would nominate him. So why is John Kerry endorsing him? Could it be to align himself with “the only Democrat candidate who opposed the Iraq war from the beginning” so that connection will be remembered, should John Kerry run for president again?

I haven’t heard of any statement from John Edwards yet, but this is a pretty insulting slap in the face to Kerry’s former VP running mate. Rumor has it Kerry never thought much of Edwards, and this pretty much puts the nail in that coffin.

So, why did Kerry wait until today to endorse Obama? Pundits have been arguing that endorsements don’t necessarily help in the long run… which I tend to agree with. It’s nice to get them, sure, but there’s no evidence that suggests that endorsements have a huge impact.

But, had Kerry endorsed Obama immediately after the Iowa caucuses, Kerry could have helped Obama win New Hampshire. Kerry won New Hampshire in 2004, and could have easily brought in his foot soldiers to help secure Obama’s victory. Aside from a couple days of publicity, this endorsement will only have so much impact. If Kerry was truly interested in helping Obama, he should have endorsed him prior to New Hampshire. I don’t care about his 3 million plus email list. I suspect that this endorsement is more self-serving for Kerry than it is about helping Obama.

Matt Margolis is co-author (with Mark Noonan) of Caucus of Corruption: The Truth About The New Democratic Majority. He also blogs at The Buffalo Bean. Follow Matt on Twitter.