Civil Rights Pioneer Endorses Clinton

Barack Obama, Rep. John Lewis, Hillary Clinton and former president Bill Clinton in Selma. (Getty).

Ya think Obama looks happy here??? hmmmmmmmm not......andy



THE TRAIL WASHINGTON POST.COM

Rep. John Lewis, the veteran civil rights activist and one of the most prominent African-American members of Congress, is endorsing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary, her campaign announced on Friday.

"I have looked at all the candidates, and I believe that Hillary Clinton is the best prepared to lead this country at a time when we are in desperate need of strong leadership," Lewis (D-Ga.) said in a statement. He was preparing to make an official announcement around noon in Atlanta.

Lewis, who was chairman of the activist group Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee during the early 1960s, is best known for his role leading protestors across the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama in March of 1965.

Beaten by police during the nonviolent march, Lewis went on to become an icon of so-called "Bloody Sunday."
When Lewis led a pilgrimage back to the site earlier this year, Sen. Barack Obama attended and spoke at his annual church service. Not to be outdone, Clinton and her husband - who has close ties with Lewis -- scheduled an appearance in Selma to match. All of them marched across the bridge together in something of a media circus. In her comments welcoming the Lewis endorsement, Clinton called him a "great American hero." Her campaign hopes the move will help solidify the impression that she is rolling steadily toward the nomination, picking up even members of the African-American community in her fight to defeat Obama.

Bill Burton, Obama spokesman says, "Barack Obama has great admiration for John Lewis and understands his long relationship with Bill Clinton. He looks forward to his support when Barack Obama is the nominee."

--Anne E. Kornblut