Son,

There is an old axiom in local politics, “When someone or some group endorses you, you get all of their enemies and none of their friends.”  Is this true?  What can an endorsement by Ted Kennedy add to Mr. Obama’s candidacy.

This is important on a couple of notes.  Senator Kennedy has as many detractors as supporters – that is not the issue.  Senator Kennedy has been around a long time – some refer to him as ‘the lion of the Senate.’  He takes his job seriously, and he does not lend his name lightly to issues.  So when the lion of the senate endorses a candidate – especially a young man like Barack Obama – he is really saying that this man is ready to be President.  That is the relevance of this endorsement.

Caroline Kennedy is also endorsing Mr. Obama.  In itself this might not seem too big of a deal – but she couched the endorsement in terms of a ‘President like my Father.’  That is a very powerful statement – one that we can assume Caroline takes very seriously – she is not just playing the political game – she is putting her family on the line.

This is a big day for Mr. Obama.

Dad