by John McCormick
Former Rhode Island Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee told reporters this morning that he is backing Sen. Barack Obama, despite the fact that Sen. John McCain campaigned for him in his failed 2006 re-election bid.
Once one of the Senate's most liberal Republicans, Chafee lost in 2006 and now works at Brown University. Now an independent, Chafee said he plans to vote for Obama in Rhode Island's Democratic primary on March. 4.
He said his support for Obama, who campaigned for his opponent in 2006, was based primarily on the Illinois Democrat's early opposition to the invasion of Iraq. Chafee said Obama has the "ideas and fortitude to be our next president."
Asked whether McCain, the Republican nomination frontrunner, should take offense at the endorsement, Chafee said these things happen in politics. "I'm sure Sen. McCain will understand," he said.







Comments
Endorsements only go so far. It seems like the public is tired of hearing who supports who and wants to hear more about what the candidates really stand for. There are plenty of places in the voting record of the two candidates to make an educated decision with or without endorsements: http://politicalmaelstrom.blogspot.com/2008/01/actual-differences-between-barack-and.html
Posted by: Jesse | February 14, 2008 11:52 AM
Let's hope this will begin a tide of sensible Republicans endorsing Senator Obama. Chuck Hagel, I'm looking at you!
Posted by: Paul | February 14, 2008 12:06 PM
'Bama is starting to look inevitable.
Posted by: TheLeninSisters | February 14, 2008 12:34 PM
He's not even a republican or in office, what weight, at all, can this clown's endorsement carry?
Nice to know how self-loathing a sycophant Chafee is, though. He'd endorse a man who actively campaigned against him. Nice, Linc.
Paul, Chafee is NOT a republican. Read the article.
Posted by: Jeff | February 14, 2008 12:40 PM
Good for him! At this point, backing Obama is definitely smart. After the Potomac sweep, he's definitely on his way to the White House.
Check out the new music video, created by 2 enthusiastic supporters:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLVN3Trs5VQ
Posted by: Ana | February 14, 2008 12:40 PM
Ha ha! I love it! As a conservative backer of Senator McCain, I hope every GOP jerk who has been ripping on Senator McCain for allegedly being Mr. Liberal reads about Senator Chafee's endorsement of the liberal Senator Obama. Might possibly shut a few of them up.
Posted by: Tim1979 | February 14, 2008 12:48 PM
Anyone wants to know what Barack is going to change.
http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/ObamaBlueprintFor Change.pdf
Because he is such a great speaker his issues are overlooked. His plan is more comprehensive than the other candidate.
Here is Clinton's plan, which is good but only 14 pages compared to Barack's 60 page plan.
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/files/pdf/poweringamericasfuture.pdf
Posted by: Morris | February 14, 2008 12:56 PM
Chafee is a loser, let us hope Obama is too. Senator McCain would look at the little dweeb and tell him to shove it. John McCain should distance himself from idiots like Chafee.
Posted by: Karen | February 14, 2008 12:57 PM
Lincoln Chaffee is such a wimp, I am amazed he was ever elected to anything.
ROCK ON HILLARY!!! Hillary Clinton wins big in the big states that are must wins for the Dems in November!
Ohio LOVES Hillary, and as Ohio goes, so goes the nation. No one can win the Presidency without winning Ohio, and Hillary polls best against McCain in Ohio, Obama loses. It's that simple friends, Hillary is the strongest, most electable, most qualified candidate the Dems could nominate.
Pennsylvania and Texas also LOVE Hillary!
Bonus, Hillary is a Chicago girl, born and raised here!! Let's see, Obama lived in Honolulu and Jakarta, Indonesia....Hmm...
BOYCOTT MSNBC for their shameless 24/7 hit job on Hillary!
BOYCOTT OPRAH, for betraying her gender, the very women on who she made her "billions", when the time came to practice what she has preached for years about supporting and empowering women, Oprah chose race over gender. The worst part is that Oprah is so nasty about it, she isn't even acknowledging that women would be rightfully angry about this, she nastily disregards their opinions.
Posted by: James and Jen | February 14, 2008 1:05 PM
So the missing Linc has endorsed the most liberal candidate running. And this surprises who? Linc Chafee's father continues to roll in his grave at the runt of the litter.
Posted by: Mike | February 14, 2008 1:07 PM
From one McCain-admiring, Obama-supporting Independent to another, Mr. Chafee, I salute you. Now if the Dems would stop arguing about using the superdelegates to throw the nomination to Clinton, we could have a contest.
Posted by: dal | February 14, 2008 1:15 PM
Lincoln Chafee is to Republicans as Joe Lieberman is to Democrats. Make of the endorsement what you will.
Posted by: JB | February 14, 2008 1:34 PM
No big surprise here. Lincoln has never been much of ah... nevermind.
Posted by: Steve S | February 14, 2008 1:41 PM
PL-E-E-E-ZE the only thing that is 'REPUBLICANT' about LINCOLN CHAFEE is that he lives on his father's old estate close to MOONSTONE BEACH and pretends not to watch the 'nudists' while he mentally masturbates smoking only 'filtered' marijuana through a holder!!!
Posted by: Zyskandar A Jaimot | February 14, 2008 1:42 PM
James and Jen, you're a stupid couple. It's like when you discuss politics in your house, you're playing "stupid tennis".
Calm down.
Posted by: acxojj | February 14, 2008 2:01 PM
That Sheldon Whitehouse, what an ingrate to support Hillary when Barack helped get him elected.
Who wants the scandal ridden, sleazy operators back to renting out the white house bedrooms when we can choose a couple virtually without baggage, whose ethical standards are high and were smart enough to pass their bar exams. (Note: HRC failed DC bar)
Posted by: DC Cookie | February 14, 2008 2:03 PM
Why don't you guys report some real endorsement news? Romney backs McCain!
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jJY9ccYmMz8Y8F58y6SuUkW0iWoA
Posted by: Jeff | February 14, 2008 2:25 PM
This is the best thing to happen to McCain.
Who wants a bleeding heart like Lincoln behind you?
Posted by: Bo | February 14, 2008 2:27 PM
Wow listen to all the McCain supporters name calling and trash talking Chaffee. The McCain camp is soo full of anger, just like their candidate.
Posted by: Micahel | February 14, 2008 3:29 PM
Michael, you make me laugh. If you want to see real anger, ask any democrat in congress about Joe Lieberman. You see, Linc Chafee was never an important leader of the republicans. He was also a backbencher at best whose vote hardly ever went to the party.
Lieberman, however, was the democrats nominee for vice president in 2000. And his own party did everything in their power to destroy him.. and failed. You want to see real anger, go look at what they tried to do to Joe Lieberman.
Posted by: Jeff | February 14, 2008 5:35 PM
ImamKashif,President Obama,Rhetoric, Fidelity....Sen. Chafee understands that President Obama cracked the code of devisiveness,deference, and jargony used by the media and the Ron Brown clintons, he wants 4 his brother what he wants 4 himself echoes the Will of a Global society....
Posted by: ImamKashif | February 15, 2008 12:16 AM
There you have it. A "McCain" Republican endorsing a liberal Democrat. Obama, Hillary and McCain. They're all Democrats.
Posted by: RA | February 15, 2008 9:55 AM
Obama’s efforts to connect to the Republican Party, specifically Bush, and Dick Chaney, of the Halliburton Company, dates back to the Presidents Grandfather, Prescott Bush, and indeed Chaney was once an executive officer of Halliburton.
The American military pounds Iraq with Artillary, bombs, and the like, destroying large sections of cities, and infra-structures, then Halliburton comes in to rebuild. Halliburton and Halliburton associated companies have raked in ten’s of billions.
Obama is just like the BIG HALIBURTAN. Haliburton has contracted to build detention centers in the U.S. similiar to the one in Quantanammo Bay, Cuba. Halliburton does nothing to earn the Two Dollars for each meal an American Serviceman in Iraq eats.
http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/
Halliburton was scheduled to take control of the Dubai Ports in The United Arab Emiirate. The deal was canceled when Bush was unable to affect the transfer of the American Ports.
Now we see what some might suspect as similiar financial escapading from the Democrats.
Two years ago, Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity gave a $50 million contract to a start-up security company - Companion- owned by now-indicted businessman (TONY REZKO) Tony Rezko and a onetime Chicago cop, Daniel T. Frawley, to train Iraqi power-plant guards in the United States. An Iraqi leadership change left the deal in limbo. Now the company, Companion Security, is working to revive its contract.
Involved along with Antoin “Tony” Rezco, long time friend and neighbor of Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama, and former cop Daniel T. Frawley, is Aiham Alsammarae. Alsammarae was accused of financial corruption by Iraqi authorities and jailed in Iraq last year before escaping and returning here.
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON --
Obama should be vetted and disclose his connection to the criminal money generating underworld. Besides, his connections to the REZCO MAFIA types, his up-coming tax fraud charges — Obama needs to disclose why he is a MUSLIM "PATWANG-FWEEE" and stop suppoting our intervention in IRAQ. It’s time to introduce this false, fake Xerox - X box Obama and invite the self-indicting thief plagiarizing pipsqueke "GLORK" Xerox - X box to meet the Buffalo "GAZOWNT-GAZIKKA" Police Department Buffalo Creek. He is MAD!!! --
OBAM YOUR NO JFK --
"GLORK" Obama looks like Alfred E. Newman: "Tales Calculated To Drive You." He is a MUSLIM "Glork" He's MAD!!! Alfred E. Neuman is the fictional mascot of Mad. The face had drifted through American pictography for decades before being claimed by Mad editor Harvey Kurtzman after he spotted it on the bulletin board in the office of Ballantine Books editor Bernard Shir-Cliff, later a contributor to various magazines created by Kurtzman.
Obama needs to disclose why he is a MUSLIM "PATWANG-FWEEE" and stop suppoting our intervention in IRAQ. It’s time to introduce this false, fake "GLORK" Xerox - X box Obama and invite the self-indicting thief plagiarizing pipsqueke Xerox - X box to meet the Buffalo "GAZOWNT-GAZIKKA" Police Department Buffalo Creek.
Posted by: Janet Reno | February 25, 2008 9:19 PM
Hurray, I love Linc. He is such a hero, what more can you say?
Posted by: Glynnis | May 16, 2008 11:42 PM
Hi: The one thing i have learned about Barack Obama is that.He should have been the canidate for the Republican party he endorses the same way of thinking.And he will in fact keep the George W.Bush platform in place far into the future.That is why so many Rich white people like Ted Turner and the President of Exon Mobil support him.Thank You
Posted by: Robert Davis | June 16, 2008 10:34 PM