Kerry endorses Obama for president

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for the White House today in a timely slap at Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as well as his own vice presidential running mate.

Quoting a black American hero in endorsing the man who hopes to be the first black president, Kerry declared, "Martin Luther King Jr. said the time is always right to do what is right. And I'm here in South Carolina because this is the right time to share with you, to make sure that we know that I have the confidence ... and that Barack Obama can be, will be and should be the next president of the United States."

When asked by a reporter from The Standard-Times during a visit to New Bedford on Monday — the eve of the New Hampshire primary — Sen. Kerry said he had not yet decided who to endorse.

Kerry delivered his endorsement in South Carolina at a time, two weeks before that state's primary, when Clinton is riding a wave of enthusiasm following her victory over Obama in the New Hampshire primary.

Kerry said there were other candidates in the race whom he also had worked with and respected.

"But I believe more than anyone else, Barack Obama can help our country turn the page and get America moving by uniting and ending the division we have faced," Kerry said.

Kerry took a swipe at Obama critics who say the Illinois senator lacks the experience to be president.

"We are electing judgment and character, not years on this earth," said Kerry, who added that Obama, an opponent of the Iraq war, was "right about the war in Iraq from the beginning."

Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, the third contender in the Democratic presidential race, was Kerry's vice presidential running mate in 2004. Despite their political alliance, the two men were not close personally and differed behind the scenes on campaign strategy in a race that President Bush won.

Edwards responded to word of the endorsement with a diplomatic statement: "Our country and our party are stronger because of John's service, and I respect his decision. When we were running against each other and on the same ticket, John and I agreed on many issues."

Kerry was Obama's political benefactor once before, selecting the relatively unknown Illinois senatorial candidate to deliver the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. It was Obama's first turn in the national spotlight and helped launch him on a remarkable ascent that has made him one of two leading contenders for the party's presidential nomination only four years later.