No, not Oprah. Or Michelle Obama.
I'm talking about two bona fide leaders in the Democratic party and US government.
Representative Carol Shea-Porter of New Hampshire and Barbara Lee today threw their support behind the Obama campaign.
(Were it not for Joe Lieberman, a comment about O-Mentum would be appropriate. But, not going there).
First, Carol Shea Porter.
U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter has decided to endorse Barack Obama for President, UnionLeader.com has learned.
The freshman 1st District congresswoman had been considering staying neutral in the primary, but has now decided to get involved.
Obama, who has been gaining on Hillary Clinton in recent New Hampshire polls, won the endorsement of the state's other member of Congress, 2nd District Rep. Paul Hodes, in July.
Shea-Porter was part of the wave of Democrats who helped retake Congress by turning red states Blue. Now Obama has both representatives from this state. This can only help as the polls out of New Hampshire show Obama closing to within the margin of error.
Also endorsing Obama today was anti-war hero/heroine (which is more appropriate?) Barbara Lee.
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., said she believes Obama is the most committed among the Democratic presidential hopefuls to ending the war.
"This is, for me, about Sen. Obama being the right person at the right time for our nation," Lee, who represents Oakland, said during a conference call with reporters.
More on Barbara Lee and Obama:
Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland stood with tears in her eyes on the floor of the 2004 Democratic National Convention as she watched a rising party star, Barack Obama, deliver an electrifying speech that shot him into the political stratosphere.
When it was over, a profoundly moved Lee told us on the convention floor that she had witnessed history that day in Boston -- the political emergence of the man she believed would be the first African American president of the United States.
Today, Lee endorses Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for president, making her a star endorser in his campaign effort.
''He does represent that bridge to the future; he reprsents hope, new direction which our country desperate needs,'' Lee told us this morning. ''This is a very powerful and defining moment for our country, and my conscience is my guide. I can't sit on the sidelines when we have an opportunity to move forward.''
Obama plans a major rally and fundraiser in Los Angeles this afternoon. And Lee -- who represents the 9th Congressional District in Oakland, the most Democratic leaning district in the nation -- is a hero to the left for her anti-war activism. She's a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus -- and her endorsement for Obama serves as a formidable counterweight to that of her former boss, former Congressman and now Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, another African American political force.
Dellums endorsed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for president weeks ago in Oakland (she's in San Francisco holding a public discussion with Schwarzenegger adviser and financier Warren Buffett Tuesday in addition to fundraising). But Lee is a good campaigner, very closely tied to African American churches and the voters in her district, where those ''Barbara Lee Speaks for Me'' bumper stickers are still legion.
No one, and I repeat, no one has more credibility on the issue of ending the Iraq war than Barbara Lee.
This comes upon news that Obama is now ahead by six in South Carolina and has surged to within ten points (40-30) in the latest CNN poll (he was behind by 30(!) points in October according to CNN).
The momentum, the energy, and the enthusiasm are all flowing in Obama's favor at this point. The Oprah appearances are the beginning of the end.
Organize, organize, organize and get hot at the end is the way one is supposed to win Iowa. Not a bad way to go for the primary either.