John Edwards Endorses Senator Barack Obama for President

Finally.

And possibly not a moment too soon, former North Carolina Senator and ex-candidate for president of the United States John Edwards endorsed Senator Barack Obama for president, joining the senator from Illinois in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the announcement. Edwards endorsement is important in that it might just give the Obama campaign something it seems to have been missing - legitimacy to the white blue-collar voter.

Edwards was welcomed with deafening applause. He told the crowd, "We are here tonight because the Democratic voters have made their choice, and so have I."

Edwards refused to endorse either candidate when he appeared on "Larry King Live" just two days earlier. But after Senator Hillary Clinton crushed Obama the following day in the West Virginia Primary (67% to 26%), he perhaps felt that something had to be done to stop the internal bleeding within the Democratic Party. The upcoming Kentucky Primary shows to be a carbon copy of West Virginia (same demographics), so Edwards' swinging white blue-collar and pro-union voters Obama's way might make it a bit less one-sided. It should be noted that the remaining 7% of the West Virginia vote went to John Edwards, even though he pulled out of the race four months ago.

But don't think there was no quid pro quo going on. Senator Obama signed onto Edwards war on poverty, a campaign he launched Tuesday in Philadelphia to cut poverty in half in the United States in ten years. Edwards had made it clear when he dropped out of the race in January that the candidate he endorsed would have to commit to fighting poverty.

David "Mudcat" Saunders, Edwards' political strategist while he was a presidential contender, told CNN that "For Barack Obama, I think he ought to kiss Johnny Edwards on the lips to kill this 41-point loss."

He might have a point. Although Edwards' endorsement of Obama won't stop Clinton, it certainly has to take a little wind out of her sails.