Georgia Superdelegate Jimmy Carter to Vote for Barack Obama at Democratic Convention

Former President Stops Short of Officially Endorsing Obama

Former President Jimmy Carter, who will be a superdelegate from Georgia at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, told a Nigerian newspaper that he will cast his vote for Barack Obama, though he was coy about his admission. In his newspaper interview, he gave reasons why he likely would favor Obama over Hillary Clinton.

"Don't forget that Obama won in my state of Georgia," Carter told the interviewer. "My town, which is home to 625 people, is for Obama, my children and their spouses are pro-Obama. My grandchildren are also pro-Obama."

Carter, however, would not come out and explicitly endorse Obama.

"As a superdelegate, I would not disclose who I am rooting for but I leave you to make that guess."

Since the death of Theodore Roosevelt in 1919, Former Presidents of the United States, by tradition, have remained above partisan politics. Bill Clinton has been heavily criticized for violating this nearly century-long tradition and engaging not only in daily campaigning for his wife Hillary Clinton, but in outright attacks on Barack Obama, who is Hillary's rival for the Democratic nomination. The perpetually shameless Bill Clinton even has stooped to the level of race-baiting and questioning Obama's patriotism.

The Hillary Clinton campaign had a muted reaction to the news. Campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson issued a statement, saying "Both Senator Clinton and President Clinton have a great deal of respect for President Carter and have enjoyed their relationship with him over the years, and obviously he is free to make whatever decision he thinks is appropriate with regard to presidential choice."