Edwards Endorses Obama

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards endorsed Democratic front-runner Barack Obama today.

Earlier in the campaign, Edwards was a candidate for the nomination, but he dropped out in January. Both Obama and Hillary Clinton have coveted his endorsement in the last three months, but he waited until more than a week after the primary in his home state before announcing his decision.

I was an Edwards supporter, but I was left to make a different choice when Texas held its primary in March.

While I feel Edwards made the endorsement he needed to make to preserve any active role he will have in Democratic politics in the future, I can't help feeling he made a choice he didn't want to make.

Just as I did.

And I'm glad he waited until there was little to be gained from his endorsement -- other than perhaps to take the public's attention away from Clinton's massive win in West Virginia on Tuesday.

If anything is guaranteed to take the wind out of your sails following a blowout win, it's to have one of your former rivals endorse the front-runner.

But Clinton should roll up another large win in Kentucky next Tuesday. The surveys there have been very consistent -- her smallest lead is 25 points, 56% to 31%, in a Rasmussen Reports that concluded on May 5.

Her largest lead also came in a survey that concluded May 5. It was conducted by Survey USA, and it showed Clinton leading by 34 points, 62% to 28%.

Those surveys make sense. The numbers mirror the results in West Virginia, and the demographics in the two states are nearly identical.

It's a different story in Oregon, which is also scheduled to hold its primary next Tuesday.

In Oregon, polls have shown Obama maintaining a double-digit advantage. His smallest lead was 11 points, 54% to 43%, in a Survey USA poll that concluded May 11.

His largest lead is 20 points, 55% to 35%, in a Portland Tribune survey that concluded May 10.

So the polls indicate a split decision next Tuesday. In all likelihood, that means Obama's lead will be virtually unchanged in the delegate count.

Time is running out.