According to various sources, the following 14 Superdelegates have endorsed Barack Obama so far today (with many more expected):

Rep. John Olver (D-MA)
Debra Kozikowski (DNC-MA)
Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA)
Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D-Detroit)
State Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH)
Jennifer DeChant (DNC-ME)
Fred McDowell (D-FL)
Debbie Dingell (DNC-MI)
Rick Wiener (DNC-MI)
Rep. John Spratt (D-SC)
Ralph Dawson (D-NY)
Tim Moore (D-SC)
Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI)
Jimmy Carter (D - Hezbollah)

You almost get the feeling the Obama camp was sitting on these endorsements just for today… this thing will be over regardless of who wins and regardless of what Hillary says in her speech in New York.

UPDATE: Holy crap, Obama kept a lot of these SD’s up his sleeve for this last day. Added in the last hour and a half:

• Carnelia Pettis-Fondren (D Vice-Chairwoman - MS)
• State Rep. Sharon Nordgren (D-NH)
• Tina Abbott (DNC, ALF-CIO - MI)
• Nine delegates previously pledged to Edwards announced switches to Obama
• Kamil Hasan (DNC-CA); switched from Hillary
• Ben Johnson (D-DC); switched from Hillary
• David Parker (D-NC)
• Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA); switched from Hillary
• Harriet Windsor (D Sec State-DE)
• John Daniello (D party chair-DE)
• Rhett Ruggerio (DNC-DE)
• Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS)
• Gov Phil Bredesen (D-TN)
• Gray Sasser (D party chair-TN)

That brings the remarkable total to 36 so far today, with many more expected after the polls close tonight — including the five remaining uncommitted Montana SD’s who said they will all endorse whoever wins their state. I’ve got to hand it to Obama, he strategized the ending of this thing pretty well. Now he gets to officially announce he received enough delegates by winning them in tonight’s primaries instead of by winning over the party elite - a small, but meaningful difference.

According to sources inside the Obama campaign, the primary fight will be effectively over today, with or without Hillary’s withdrawal/endorsement/suspension of her campaign. If you read R4′08 yesterday, you know that Obama needs only 28-33 more superdelegates to effectively clinch the nomination. And here’s what an Obama insider told the press last night on the condition of anonymity:

“…at least five to 10 House members would endorse Obama on Tuesday morning, at least 10 senators will endorse him by the end of the day and an additional 10 superdelegates will also endorse him during the day.”

Obama himself apparently has said they will have the number of superdelegates they need by Wednesday.

Hillary, you’ve done us GOP’ers a great service by staying in the race and fighting as long as you did. I hope you keep fighting to the convention, but if not - thanks for everything you’ve done for us in the past six months!

CNN is reporting that John Edwards will finally endorse, and that his endorsement will go to Sen. Obama.

Details to follow…

Just in case anyone was still wondering about Hillary’s chances…

Obama picked up several more superdelegates last night and this morning - right after his embarrassing 40-point defeat in West Virginia. In and of itself, that should tell you something, but the math is even more stark for the Clinton campaign. That brings the current Superdelegate count according to CNN to 284-273 - advantage Obama.

Which means, if anyone’s counting, in the last 8 days, 33 superdelegates have declared and have broken for Obama 28-5. Ouch. (In the last 44 days, it’s been 68-23.)

Playing around with CNN’s delegate counter, it now appears that Hillary needs roughly 80% of the remaining superdelegates just to send this thing to the convention. To outright win it, she’ll need to pull around 86-87% of the remaining superdelegates.

Obama is set to announce today that two more superdelegates are backing his candidacy for the Democratic nomination - the chair and vice-chair of the Maryland Democratic Party.

This means in the past four days, 9 SD’s have endorsed Obama with 4 more endorsing Clinton — bringing the running totals to 268-256 in favor of Hillary. (In the past 36 days, Obama has picked up a net of 40 to Hillary’s 18.)

Remember, for Hillary to pull out this nomination, she’s got to grab more than 65% of the remaining superdelegates, thanks to the ridiculous Democratic Party primary rules.

Today, the battle continues as Hillary picks up one superdelegate in the form of the head of the Connecticut AFL-CIO and four expected superdelegates from New York.

Barack Obama, meanwhile, added a Texas AFL-CIO official as well as three more from his home state of Illinois. Tit for tat.

Except for the one everyone is talking about: former DNC head Joe Andrews, who this morning announced he was switching from Hillary to Obama. The move has made waves as a high profile superdelegate switch and has pundits wondering anew if Hillary is in trouble, despite her recent strength in Indiana and North Carolina polls.

Politico has the running tally of superdelegates up to 264-249 in favor of Hillary, with just 230 left uncommitted. (One month ago, it stood at 250-216.)

Hillary has been on a tear lately, but will she have enough time? This just in…

Barack Obama just added his second new superdelegate of the day, and it’s particularly noteworthy on two counts.

Baron Hill is a congressman in Indiana, which votes Tuesday. And in his endorsement statement, he specifically cites Obama’s repudiation on Tuesday of his former pastor.

“His comments regarding statements made by Reverend Wright showed me another aspect of Senator Obama’s leadership — a strength of character and commitment to our nation that transcends the personal,” Hill said in a statement provided by the Obama campaign. “One of the tests of a true leader is his ability and willingness to come to a new conclusion based on new events. Senator Obama did just that yesterday.”

UPDATE: From politico, 2 more join Hill with endorsement:

Rep. Lois Capps, who represents a district on California’s central coast, is the third member of Congress to announce an endorsement of Senator Obama Wednesday, the day after he responded sharply to one of the deepest crises of his campaign, a confrontational and, he said, “appalling” set of remarks by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. The campaign is using the flurry of endorsements to shore up political support and demonstrate the frontrunner’s continuing strength.

From Iowa’s WHBF:

An aide to U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, says he will announce his endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Wednesday.

Braley spokesman Jeff Giertz says Braley will endorse the Illinois senator during an afternoon conference call. Braley was an early and ardent backer of John Edwards, but had remained uncommitted since Edwards dropped out of the race at the end of January.

Braley is a superdelegate and his endorsement will further add to Obama’s fragile lead in delegates in the race against Hillary Rodham Clinton. Giertz says Braley made his decision after seeing the overwhelming support for Obama in district conventions last weekend in his 1st District in eastern Iowa.

This is a little bit of old news, but I don’t remember seeing this posted. However, I remember reading the Novak speculation and this is news. From the Atlanta Journal Constitution..

Former Georgia senator Sam Nunn, who toyed with the concept of a non-partisan run for president last year, has come down on the side of Barack Obama in the Democratic race for president.

The former senator, considered one of the nation’s preeminent experts on U.S. defense, met with Obama’s foreign policy team this morning.

In a just released statement, Nunn said Obama “will have the sound judgment to put together an outstanding governing team, bringing people together across old boundaries.”

“My own role in this campaign will be as an advisor - particularly in the field of national security and foreign policy,” Nunn said.

Though not a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention, Nunn carries a good deal of gravitas from which Obama could benefit. As one of their numbers, Nunn could also help reassure conservative Democrats still suspicious of Obama’s position on the left-right political spectrum.

This seems like a big deal to me. Any NC natives/experts know whether this will help Hillary in the state, even if to hold Obama to a mid-low single digit victory?

A person close to North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley tells The Associated Press he will endorse Hillary Rodham Clinton for president.

Easley is a Democratic superdelegate who has served as the state’s governor for two terms. His decision comes despite several recent polls showing Clinton trailing rival Barack Obama ahead of the state’s May 6 primary.

The steady drip… drip… drip… that is dooming Hillary’s aspirations to become President continued today as Barack Obama picked up the support of Rep Margaret Campbell (D-MT), his 69th superdelegate pickup since the 2/5 contests, according to the New York Times.

They note that in that same time frame, Hillary has actually suffered a net loss of 2 superdelegates.

Also, superdelegate Tom Harkin (D-IA) told the Des Moines Register today that he is leaning toward Obama, but will not formally announce his pick until at least June 3.

I have no idea whether or not Mitt Romney would accept the position of running mate if McCain picked him, but assuming he does want it, people like those running the website, www.nomittvp.com, are probably helping his chances. One thing I’ve always liked about John McCain is that he is not someone who is going to let other people push him around. The more pressure conservative groups or any other type of groups put on McCain to not pick Romney, the better the chance that McCain will pick Romney. McCain will not let outside groups tell him what he can and cannot do. Conservatives have been squawking for the last two months about how they may not vote for McCain in the general election, and he has only gone up in the polls.

While there are many good people in the religious right movement, especially among rank and file, John McCain sees a lot of the leadership for what they are. Many of them are a lot more “right” than they are “religious”. Ralph Reed is a Republican party hack who discovered religion as a way to help Republicans. If Pat Robertson really cared about the right to life and strong families, why did he support pro-choice candidate Rudy Giuliani? When McCain heard this last fall, I recall him saying he was speechless. He probably recalled Robertson mercilessly attacking him in 2000 for not being conservative enough despite his 100% pro-life Senate voting record. Paul Weyrich wrote a scathing letter in 1999 saying moralists had lost the culture war and he was forever abandoning politics. McCain sees many of these guys as the flakes they are.

McCain has bucked fiscal conservatives too. He told Grover Norquist to pound sand about his tax pledge. I actually disagreed with McCain on that and thought he should have signed the pledge, but it is another indication of McCain not wanting to bow down to anyone.Furthermore, McCain has stated he supports making the Bush tax cuts permanent anyway. He supports a capital gains tax cut and opposes the death tax. He just didn’t want to sign a pledge because of his contrarian nature.

You will seldom hear John McCain or Mitt Romney bragging to people about how religious they are. This is because people with a strong faith don’t feel they need to. They show their values by how they live their lives. McCain served his country well and made a huge sacrifice as a POW. Romney has been a wonderful husband and father. Perhaps if McCain talked more openly about his faith, he may be able to increase conservative turnout in rural Ohio or in some competitive Southern states, but McCain is from a generation that was brought up not to wear their religion on their sleeves. However, many people make the mistake of thinking that if someone doesn’t talk much about their faith that it means they don’t have a strong faith, when generally the reverse is true.

The more pressure McCain gets from conservative groups or even moderate groups who don’t want Mitt, the more likely he is to pick him.

If Mitt really wants it, his best strategy would be to play hard to get. I can read McCain pretty well on this one. It takes one stubborn person to understand another.

On January 3, the day of the Iowa caucuses, here’s how many endorsements from elected officials Hillary and Barack had:

• Hillary - 91
• Barack - 43

Today, three months later, here’s how the updated totals look:

• Barack - 99
• Hillary - 96

Inevitability meets incredible momentum. Looks like momentum wins for the Democrats once again.

h/t The Political Wire

In a very surprising move that indicates just how bad things are getting for Hillary Clinton these days, my very own Governor Dave Freudenthal of Wyoming — a superdelegate — has thrown his support behind Barack Obama this afternoon.

Governor Freudenthal is a very conservative Democrat (as one would have to be to win in Wyoming), which makes his backing of Obama (and his backing him this publicly) a surprise. Even more surprising, however, is the fact that he worked in the Clinton Administration as a US Attorney and chose to go with Obama.

MSNBC’s First Read reports that since March 4, Obama has picked up 11 superdelegates. Hillary, meanwhile, has gotten 1 in the same timeframe.

From the AP:

Former first lady Nancy Reagan planned to endorse John McCain for president on Tuesday, as the Arizona senator continued to collect the backing of leading Republicans who might help him win over critical conservative voters.Now certain to win the GOP nomination, McCain is on the West coast this week to raise money. He was to stop by the Southern California home of former President Ronald Reagan’s widow to accept her endorsement.

In a statement before the event, Reagan said she typically waits until after the GOP convention to announce her support but she decided to do so now because it is clear the Republican Party has chosen its nominee.

“John McCain has been a good friend for over thirty years,” Reagan said. “My husband and I first came to know him as a returning Vietnam War POW, and were impressed by the courage he had shown through his terrible ordeal. I believe John’s record and experience have prepared him well to be our next president.”

Reagan’s eventual support was expected, and she will become the latest top Republican to fall in line behind McCain. She and McCain have long been close, and it was only a matter of time before she spoke up for her friend.

Her endorsement could help McCain shore up the backing of conservatives who long have viewed him skeptically for his record of breaking with the party on some issues they hold dear. At the same time, Reagan’s nod also could help further align him with the former president who attracted Democratic as well as Republican voters.

The former first lady has nurtured her husband’s legacy and has generally stayed out of the political spotlight in recent years, with a few exceptions. She remained quiet during the multi-candidate fight for the GOP nod but did attend debates held at her husband’s presidential library in Simi Valley, Calif.

Doug Kmiec was once the co-chair of Mitt Romney’s committee on the Courts and Constitution, now he’s throwing his support behind Barack Obama. This is truly bizarre.

Today I endorse Barack Obama for president of the United States. I believe him to be a person of integrity, intelligence and genuine good will. I take him at his word that he wants to move the nation beyond its religious and racial divides and to return United States to that company of nations committed to human rights. I do not know if his earlier life experience is sufficient for the challenges of the presidency that lie ahead. I doubt we know this about any of the men or women we might select. It likely depends upon the serendipity of the events that cannot be foreseen. I do have confidence that the Senator will cast his net widely in search of men and women of diverse, open-minded views and of superior intellectual qualities to assist him in the wide range of responsibilities that he must superintend.

This endorsement may be of little note or consequence, except perhaps that it comes from an unlikely source: namely, a former constitutional legal counsel to two Republican presidents. The endorsement will likely supply no strategic advantage equivalent to that represented by the very helpful accolades the Senator has received from many of high stature and accomplishment, including most recently, from Governor Bill Richardson. Nevertheless, it is important to be said publicly in a public forum in order that it be understood. It is not arrived at without careful thought and some difficulty.

As a Republican, I strongly wish to preserve traditional marriage not as a suspicion or denigration of my homosexual friends, but as recognition of the significance of the procreative family as a building block of society. As a Republican, and as a Catholic, I believe life begins at conception, and it is important for every life to be given sustenance and encouragement. As a Republican, I strongly believe that the Supreme Court of the United States must be fully dedicated to the rule of law, and to the employ of a consistent method of interpretation that keeps the Court within its limited judicial role. As a Republican, I believe problems are best resolved closest to their source and that we should never arrogate to a higher level of government that which can be more effectively and efficiently resolved below. As a Republican, and the constitutional lawyer, I believe religious freedom does not mean religious separation or mindless exclusion from the public square.

From the Politico:

Former president George H.W. Bush will endorse Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in Houston on Monday during a media availability at 9:30 a.m. Texas time, Repbulican sources say.

President Bush will be in Africa at the time. He told “Fox News Sunday” last weekend that he would help make the case for McCain’s conservative credentials as soon as there was an official nominee.

The endorsement by the former president does two things that are crucial to McCain as he tried to capitalize on the potential advantages of being the nominee when Democrats are still fighting it out:

It begins to make former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee look like he’s not being a team player, raising expectations that he should drop out or run a quieter campaign.

It also undercuts Republicans who are reticent to fully support McCain because of his past differences with the party’s right wing.

The father’s endorsement follows former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s decision to back McCain. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had warm relations with both men and had hoped their endorsements would ignite his candidacy, which he ended last week.

From the all-knowing Mark Halperin:

The two will appear together at 4:00 pm ET press conference at Romney Headquarters in Boston.

Romney will ask his delegates to support McCain to help him lock up the nomination, unite the party against Democrats.

Associated Press: “Romney collected 280 delegates during his run through the early primaries and caucuses, more than enough to put McCain over the total of 1,191 needed to clinch the nomination.”

Source: Romney’s team informed the McCain campaign of the endorsement earlier Thursday.

Reported on Fox News and CNN.

Beckel Talking about this setting Mitt up for the VP spot.

Fox reporting 3:30 in Boston.

Mitt as VP:

Pros:
1. Balances ticket very well
2. Shows Unity in GOP
3. Maybe McCain will agree to one term
4. Keeps Huckabee out

Cons:
1. Will the Us ever want 3 GOP presidents in a row?
2. Can a loosing VP candidate come back and win nomination later? I can only think of Dole as the only example.
3. Deosn’t help McCain in the south. But I have a feeling if you put McCain’s and Romney’s numbers together in south, you have a huge majority.

Planned Parenthood, which receives $300,000,000 annually in taxpayer dollars, is terrified of a McCain presidency. The one-minute radio ad has been running in the DC media market up to today’s primaries.

Meanwhile, pro-life leaders such as Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, are lining up behind McCain.

Planned Parenthood Action Fund Launches Radio Ad
Criticizing Sen. McCain’s Commitment to Overturn Roe v. Wade

Contact:
Tait Sye, 202-973-4882
February 10, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC - The Planned Parenthood Action Fund today announced the release of a radio ad educating voters about Sen. John McCain’s anti-choice voting record. Throughout his entire public career, Sen. McCain has voted consistently against women’s health, and he supports overturning the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Roe v. Wade.

“Sen. McCain believes government has the right to interfere with the most personal and often the most difficult decisions affecting a woman’s health,” said Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “Most Americans believe just the opposite and, as more voters realize Sen. McCain’s ardent anti-choice position, this will be an issue for him in the general election.”

As Sen. McCain is the presumptive Republican nominee for president, his record and rhetoric on abortion will come under further scrutiny. As NPR reported last week, many Republican voters incorrectly believe that Sen. McCain supports abortion rights. However, Sen. McCain’s voting record and statements put him out of the mainstream of voters.

According to a recent Quinnipiac Poll (August 2007), 62% of voters support Roe v. Wade, with 64% of independent voters supporting Roe v. Wade. In the same poll, by a 20-point margin, voters believe abortion should be legal (57–37); among independent voters, that margin increases to 26 points (59–33).

The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is launching an aggressive effort to educate voters about Sen. McCain’s anti-choice record, using Sen. McCain’s own words in the radio ad.

“We will make clear to voters that Sen. McCain is anti-choice and wants to overturn Roe v. Wade,” said Richards. “The more voters learn about Sen. McCain’s ardent anti-choice record, the more resistance he will face from the majority of voters, especially among moderate Republicans and independents, who support Roe v. Wade.”

Sen. McCain has received a zero percent rating from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the lowest rating in the U.S. Senate. He opposed commonsense measures to avoid unintended pregnancies and thus reduce the need for abortion. He opposed ending the “global gag rule,” an anti-family planning restriction that reduces access to contraception and abortion services and information in poorer countries.

The radio ad, called “Real Talk,” will air in the Washington, DC, media market, targeting voters going to the polls on February 12.

Script for Radio ad: “Real Talk”
:60

Announcer: Think you know which candidate for president wants to outlaw abortion and overturn Roe v. Wade?

McCain: “I do not support Roe v. Wade. It should be overturned.” [AP, 2/18/07]

Announcer: That’s John McCain, not Mike Huckabee, and those are his real views. Even though John McCain knows what’s at risk, he wants abortion to be illegal again, just like it used to be.

McCain: “I do believe that it’s very likely or possible that a Supreme Court should, could overturn Roe v. Wade.” [ABC This Week with George Stephanopoulos, 11/19/06]

Announcer: McCain’s plan to outlaw abortion threatens the lives and health of women - that’s why John McCain received a zero percent rating from Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the lowest rating in the US Senate. When you vote, always vote pro-choice and remember John McCain’s real talk:

McCain: “I have been pro-life for all of my political career.” [NBC Meet the Press with Tim Russert, 5/13/07]

Announcer: Paid for by Planned Parenthood Action Fund; not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. www.plannedparenthoodvotes.org. Planned Parenthood Action Fund is responsible for the content of this advertisement.

Byron York at NRO has the scoop:

U.S. Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign today announced that former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has endorsed John McCain for president.

“John McCain is a patriot and devoted conservative leader,” said Governor Bush. “Like no other candidate in the field, John McCain has made tremendous sacrifices for this nation. He is beholden to no interest other than that of the public good. He is determined and steadfast in his commitment to reducing the burden of high taxes, restoring the people’s trust in their government, and winning the war against radical Islamic extremists. It is with pride that I announce my endorsement of John McCain for president.”

Hot off the presses at First Read

From NBC/NJ’s Matthew E. Berger and Adam Aigner-Treworgy
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA — Huckabee just said Paul Weyrich, a prominent conservative, called him and will endorse him.

This comes on the heels of McCain today picking up an endorsement from conservative Gary Bauer.

From Politico:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Conservative Gary Bauer is endorsing Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

The prominent abortion foe says in a statement that McCain “has dedicated his life to defending human rights around the world, including the rights of the unborn.” The McCain campaign released Bauer’s statement.

Bauer himself ran for president in 2000.

McCain thanked Bauer for his support. The Arizona senator says, “Gary has always been a forceful, unapologetic advocate for the sanctity of life and traditional marriage, judicial restraint and a strong American foreign policy based on our values.”

From the Washington Post:

Fred Thompson, the one-time Republican presidential candidate, endorsed Sen. John McCain, calling on the party to “close ranks” behind the presumed nominee.

“This is no longer about past preferences or differences. It is about what is best for our country and for me that means that Republican should close ranks behind John McCain,” Thompson said in a statement reported by the Associated Press.

Thompson’s endorsement was expected. The two men were colleagues for years in the Senate and shared what associates called a friendship. But while he was in the race, Thompson had bristled at the idea that he was going to drop out and endorse McCain.

The endorsement now may help McCain to coalesce the factions of the party around him. Thompson, who represented Tennessee in the Senate for eight years, is thought of well in the South, an area that McCain has not done well in.

According to the Washington Post:

President Bush plans to give an implicit endorsement of onetime rival John McCain’s conservative bona fides tomorrow as the Arizona senator seeks to consolidate the party behind his candidacy.

In a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference in the morning, Bush plans to say that the nominee of the party will be a strong conservative, according to excerpts released by the White House tonight.

“We have had good debates and soon we will have a nominee who will carry the conservative banner into this election and beyond,” Bush says in the excerpts. “The stakes in November are high. Prosperity and peace are in the balance. So with confidence in our vision and faith in our values, let us go forward, fight for victory and keep the White House in 2008.”

Bush does not mention McCain by name, but the clear signal of his words to this particular audience is that the senator is a faithful conservative despite their doubts and it is time to put aside internal disagreements and rally behind the apparent nominee to be. Bush has stayed out of the nomination fight, but with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney’s departure from the race today, he is preparing to help bring the party together to the extent that McCain wants his assistance.

AP is just reporting that Dr James Dobson is endorsing Huckabee:

James Dobson, one of the nation’s most prominent evangelical Christian leaders, is about to endorse former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, The Associated Press has learned.

Dobson, founder of Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Focus on the Family, talked to the GOP presidential hopeful Thursday and later was to release a statement explaining his choice, said Gary Schneeberger, a spokesman for Dobson.

Huckabee had long sought Dobson’s endorsement, believing he is the best fit to advance Dobson’s conservative, moral worldview.

Until now, Dobson had never endorsed a GOP presidential hopeful during the primary campaign. But he ruled out front-runner John McCain in a blistering commentary on Super Tuesday, and on Thursday the fight for the GOP nomination narrowed to a two-man race between McCain and Huckabee, who is far behind in the delegate count but pledged to fight on. Mitt Romney, a third hopeful trying to claim the conservative label, dropped out of the race Thursday.

Dobson released a statement Tuesday that criticized McCain for his support of embryonic stem cell research, his opposition to a federal anti-gay marriage amendment and for his temper and use of foul language.

He said if McCain were the nominee, he would not cast a ballot for president for the first time in his life.

Dobson had left open the possibility that he would vote for either Romney or Huckabee, but endorsed neither.

Throughout the unsettled GOP race, Dobson picked his spots to signal that some candidates simply didn’t meet his standards. Dobson wrote on a conservative news Web site that he wouldn’t support former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani should he win the Republican nomination. Dobson called Giuliani an “unapologetic supporter of abortion on demand” and criticized him for signing a bill in 1997 creating domestic-partnership benefits in New York City.

At one point, Dobson said he’d consider voting for a minor-party candidate if faced with Giuliani as the nominee.

Later, Dobson ruled out former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson for his stands on issues. Dobson also said Thompson “has no passion, no zeal, and no apparent ‘want to.’”

Dobson emphasizes that when he endorses candidates, he is doing so as a private citizen and not as a representative of Focus on the Family, a tax-exempt organization.

Cornyn from J Martin:

Sen. John Cornyn — the man who so famously was on the receiving end of a John McCain f-bomb last year — is getting behind his colleague from Arizona.

In a statement just released, Cornyn praised McCain on spending and national security and said the GOP now needed to close ranks.

“With many of my colleagues, I have been determined to stay out of the primary contests and allow the members of our party to work their will,” Cornyn said. “I now believe, with a number of the other candidates deciding to step aside, that it is time for the Republican Party to come together and stand behind Senator McCain. I am honored to endorse him for President of the United States today and will do whatever I can to support his candidacy.”

Allen’s Endorsement:

“John McCain has led a life of heroic service to our country,” said Governor Allen. “His experience coupled with his strong belief in core conservative principles makes him uniquely prepared to serve as our next commander in chief. I am confident that he is the only candidate who can combat the threat of radical Islamic extremism, ensure our country’s economic prosperity, stop wasteful Washington spending, and uphold our traditional values. Today, I urge all fellow Virginians and Americans to join me in supporting John McCain for president.”

My friend, (and one of the premiere bloggers in California), Flap of Flap’s Dental Blog endorses Sen. John McCain in tomorrow’s California primary.

Fresh from my inbox from Manny Miranda, former legal counsel to Sen. Bill Frist. Miranda is well respected in conservative circles, especially in the judicial community.

This testimony and that of Senator Brownback are powerful: these are two men who worked side-by-side with Senator McCain in pushing through Justices Roberts and Alito, and in blocking the abysmal nomination of Harriet Miers, while Romney advisers Jay Sekulow and Gary Marx were sending out press releases supporting her. All while Mitt Romney was putting Democrats/homosexual advocates on the court in Massachusetts.

Also, my father, Rick Valentine, has endorsed John McCain. His endorsement was reported in Roll Call, but is not available online. He is the former chairman of Fred Thompson’s social policy committee. His career includes serving as chief of staff to Sen. John East; Deputy Assistant Attorney General under Reagan and Bush; Counsel to the Committee on the Judiciary; legislative director to Sen. Bob Smith; and was asked by the White House to assist in the confirmation hearings of John Roberts. He is currently an attorney with K&L Gates in Washington.

The letter from Manny Miranda:

Dear Friends,

As a staffer in the Senate, I orchestrated the efforts and debates over the best known judicial nominees of the Bush administration, including the unprecedented seven week effort for Miguel Estrada, who I made a household name, Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown, and Bill Pryor, whose nomination helped to expose the anti-Catholic phobia of Senate Democrats. When I organized the National Coalition to End Judicial Filibusters, I forced the Senate Republican leadership to address the “constitutional option” in anticipation of a Supreme Court nomination. As chairman of the Third Branch Conference, I led the conservative and values voter movements on the nonminations of John Roberts, Harriet Miers, and Sam Alito.

At the 2006 CPAC, the American Conservative Union awarded me the Ronald Reagan Award for all my efforts, but especially in leading the opposition to Harriet Miers, a defining moment in the relationship between conservatives and the President who I love. As David Keene put it, “Sam Alito would not be on the Supreme Court were it not for [me].” Perhaps.

With this as preface, I wish to add my voice to those of Miguel Estrada and Ted Olsen and to endorse the nomination of John McCain.

Having served in Iraq for a year as a civilian in the State Department, there is is no nominee who better assures me of the future of our country and the future for my son than John McCain. I know first hand that our our troops in the field are inspired by his voice as with no other leader. Moreover, McCain’s personal story is one of tragedy overcome and unrelenting sacrifice. While my heart is with the underdog campaign of Mike Huckabee, my mind is firmly convinced that John McCain represents both the political change this country longs for and the stability of vision that our safety and the world’s peace requires.

On judges, the choice between John McCain and Mitt Romney is easy. I know that many of you would point to Senator McCain’s role in the Gang of 14. That role is misunderstood.

First this: In an Executive role, Mitt Romney’s record in Massachusetts on judicial nominations is abysmal. His conduct was either an abdication of duty or a complete disregard of the importance of a governor’s role in that state’s nominations process. You and I know the importance of the judge issue. As Senator Jeff Sessions once told me, “Nobody polls on it, but it’s what everyone wants to talk about back home.” We need to make sure that a Republican president understands this issue without wavering and without any populist tendencies. Mitt Romney does not give us that comfort.

Certainly, John McCain is not a culture warrior and yet he has been solidly pro-life in his voting record and firm in his understanding that the issue of abortion should be returned to the States. Mitt Romney’s record is not similarly comforting. Mr. Romney defends his former pro-abortion choice position (and presumably his wife’s donation to Planned Parenthood) by reminding us that President Reagan and George H. W. Bush were also converts to the pro-life cause. I reject the comparison. Like many Americans between 1973 and 1980, Reagan and Bush came late to understanding what Roe vs..Wade had wrought. Unlike Reagan and Bush (or McCain), it took more than thirty years of public debate throughout his adult life for Mitt Romney to reach the right conclusion about federal abortion rights. If even President George W. Bush could falter in understanding his mandate on judges, how could we trust Mitt Romney’s judgment.

Second, Senator McCain would not need on-the-job training on the issue of federal judicial nomination, and he is a meritocrat. He is not likely to nominate a lightweight to the judiciary. The truth is that the Gang of 14 was a coordinated response to Bill Frists’s and Mitch McConnell’s fear of using the “constitutional option” and desire to hold it in reserve if Democrats escalated the use of filibusters to Supreme Court nominees. In effect then, short of ending judicial filibusters by returning the Senate to its traditions and the Constitution, the Gang of 14 compromise paved the way for the confirmation of two excellent justices. This was John McCain’s drafted role.

The Gang of 14 was not my only experience with John McCain playing the role of good soldier in the judicial nominations war. Unlike a few Republican senators I know, McCain did not absent himself from four extraordinary Senate floor events on judicial nominations in 2003 that I organized. I was right next to him when he walked into the beginning of the 40 hour Grand Debate. Senator McCain was a good soldier on judges in 2003 as he was again in forming the Gang of 14 for the Senate leadership in 2005.

In recent days, beginning the night before the Florida primary, McCain opponents fanned opposition to a reported comment made by Senator McCain mischaracterizing Judge Alito. On the contary, Senator McCain has forcefully and publicly defended his votes in support of both John Roberts and Sam Alito, well to my satisfaction. As he put it, he wishes he could could clone them.

This conservative endorses John McCain. A president’s two greatest roles are as commander-in-chief and as chief steward of the federal courts. John McCain is ready for both roles as no other candidate is, Democrat or Republican. Moreover, a McCain presidency would revitalize the conservative movement, and the values voters movement, too often coopted by this White House into silence, without losing the hope of restoring the Constitution and the Supreme Court to the American people.

Best regards,

Manuel Miranda

As reported by Jonathan Martin:

The former New York governor and kinda-sorta presidential explorer will get behind McCain at a Grand Central presser that was supposed to start at 3.

From the release:

Boston, MA – Today, U.S. Congressman Howard Coble (R-NC) announced that he is endorsing Governor Mitt Romney to be our next President of the United States. Congressman Coble joins Congresswoman Virginia Foxx from North Carolina in supporting Governor Romney.Making today’s announcement, Congressman Coble issued the following statement: “I am very impressed with what Mitt Romney has accomplished during his career. Clearly he has been very successful in the private equity field. He used those business skills in turning around the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake. He proved his political and governing skills by getting elected Governor of Massachusetts. As the only non-Senator among the final four presidential frontrunners, Mitt Romney can bring a fresh approach to the issues facing our nation. I am pleased to endorse Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination.”

Welcoming Congressman Coble’s support, Governor Romney said, “In Washington, Congressman Coble has been a steadfast voice for fiscal responsibility and a stalwart opponent of deficit spending. Throughout his time in Congress, the people of North Carolina’s Sixth Congressional District have been rightly proud of his service. I am grateful to have his support in our campaign to build a stronger America.”

Background On Congressman Howard Coble:

Congressman Coble Has Served In The U.S. House Of Representatives Since His Election In 1984. Congressman Coble is a member of the Committee on Judiciary and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Prior to his election to Congress, he served in the North Carolina House of Representatives, and from 1973 to 1977, was the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Revenue. Congressman Coble is a attorney and a retired member of the United States Coast Guard.