Barack Obama is scheduled to give a major speech on national service in Mt. Vernon, Iowa today. Mark Halperin at Time is reporting that Harris Wofford, a JFK aide, Peace Corps pioneer and Clinton pal is going to appear with Obama and endorse him. the page @ time.com
Wofford has extremely impressive credentials. He graduated from University of Chicago in 1948 and got his law degree from Yale and Howard University Law Schools in 1954. He was a legal assistant at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and then a law professor at Notre Dame Law School. After coordinating civil rights for John F. Kennedy’s 1960 presidential campaign he became a special assistant to President Kennedy in the area of Civil Rights and assisted in the formation of the Peace Corps and subsequently was associate director.
After a number of years in law and acadamia while being active in the Pennsylvania State Democratic Party he was appointed in May, 1991 to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Henry John Heinz, III, was elected in a special election to the remainder of the term on November 5, 1991 and served until 1995. After serving in the Senate he became CEO of Americorps and then chairman of America’s Promise: The Alliance for Youth until 2004. Wofford's biography
A couple of tidbits about Wofford from Wikipedia. While he was an advisor to Kennedy's campaign, when King was imprisoned shortly before the election, Wofford persuaded Kennedy to call King's wife and offer his support — a move that helped shift the African American vote decisively in Kennedy's favor and may have won him the election.
In the 1991 special election, he ran against Dick Thornburgh, the former Pennsylvania governor and U.S. Attorney General. He came from behind to win by ten percentage points. His campaign was run by Paul Begala and James Carville, and their dramatic success brought them to national attention. The campaign was also a proving ground for many of the themes that would underlie Bill Clinton's 1992 victory such as the focus on the economy and health care. He was considered for the vice presidential nomination, although Clinton would ultimately choose Al Gore.
Back in February of this year, Steve Goldstein of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Wofford was inspired and 'captivated' by Obama. Wofford is a friend of both Hillary and Bill Clinton and dreaded having to tell them that he was backing Barack Obama for the nomination. "If Barack doesn't get it, I will be an enthusiastic supporter of Hillary, but Obama has the ability to unite us" Wofford said.
This is another quality endorsement for Obama. He is attracting so many wise and respected backers and it will be another plank in his campaign to promote youth service to their country. Way to go Barack!