ARAB NEWS: Sen. Obama’s South Carolina thumping of Sens. Hillary and John Edwards on Saturday gave him a strong, southern tail wind toward the Super Tuesday showdowns. He beat Hillary with 55 percent support compared to her 27 percent — Edwards trailed with 18 percent support. Overwhelming support from African-American voters fueled Obama’s big win in Saturday’s South Carolina Democratic primary, but he also continued to demonstrate broad appeal across racial lines, particularly among younger, better educated and wealthier voters. MORE
“Is Barack Obama the next JFK? Has Barack Obama developed the “Big Mo,” vital momentum that would take him through to the
Democratic nomination, very possibly to the presidency? We do not yet know whether Senator Obama will be able to carry his challenge through to actual nomination, despite his impressive victory in South Carolina. We shall be closer to knowing the answer on February 5, “Super-Duper Tuesday,” when 20 states will hold their primaries. Before South Carolina, Senator Clinton was ahead of Senator Obama in polls taken in California, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, but her poll ratings have been weakening. In South Carolina there was a surge for Mr Obama, greater than the polls suggested. We cannot know whether there will be a similar surge on February 5. If there is a big surge, Mr Obama could run away with the race.” [via TIMES OF LONDON]
INQUIRER ENDORSEMENT: BARACK OBAMA is the best Democrat to lead this nation past the nasty, partisan, Washington-as-usual politics that have blocked consensus on Iraq; politics that never blinked at the greedy, subprime mortgage schemes that could spawn a recession; politics that have greatly diminished our country’s stature in the world.
NEW YORK TIMES: BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Senator Edward M. Kennedy intends to endorse the presidential candidacy of Senator Barack Obama during a rally on Monday in Washington, associates to both men confirmed, a decision that squarely pits one American political dynasty against another. The expected endorsement, coming after Mr. Obama’s commanding victory over Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the South Carolina Democratic primary on Saturday, may give Mr. Obama further momentum in his campaign for the nomination.
CAROLINE KENNEDY: OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they
could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama. Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible. We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country — just as we did in 1960.
LA TIMES: Something strange happened the other day. All these different people — friends, co-workers, relatives, people on a liberal e-mail list I read — kept saying the same thing: They’ve suddenly developed a disdain for Bill and Hillary Clinton. Maybe this is just a coincidence, but I think we’ve reached an irrevocable turning point in liberal opinion of the Clintons. The sentiment seems to be concentrated among Barack Obama supporters. Going into the campaign, most of us liked Hillary Clinton just fine, but the fact that tens of millions of Americans are seized with irrational loathing for her suggested that she might not be a good Democratic nominee. But now that loathing seems a lot less irrational. We’re not frothing Clinton haters like … well, name pretty much any conservative. We just really wish
they’d go away.
FRANK RICH: Asked by Tim Russert at a September debate whether the Clinton presidential library and foundation would disclose the identities of its donors during the campaign, Mrs. Clinton said it wasn’t up to her. Just before the holidays, investigative reporters at both The Washington Post and The New York Times tried to find out why, with no help from the Clintons. The Post uncovered a plethora of foreign contributors, led by Saudi Arabia.The Times found an overlap between library benefactors and Hillary Clinton campaign donors, some of whom might have an agenda with a new Clinton administration.
BARACK OBAMA: Beyond Good And Evil?