The Fight for Kennedy's Endorsement

In the tightly contested and media-saturated Democratic primary of 2008, every endorsement seemed of immense importance. And the most highly coveted of them belonged to the Lion of the Senate, Ted Kennedy. A new book, Battle For America 2008, excerpted in Tuesday's Washington Post, paints a clearer, more-detailed picture of the intense lobbying from both Hillary and Bill Clinton, along with Barack Obama, to win Kennedy's approval. Dan Balz and Haynes Johnson reveal that as the racial rhetoric reached a fever pitch after several gaffes from the Clinton camp around the time of the South Carolina primary, Kennedy became disillusioned with the tone of debate. Kennedy and Bill Clinton clashed on the phone several times, reinforcing the perception that Bill cracked under the pressure somewhat during the remarkably competitive race. Interestingly, on January 14—long before Hillary conceded—Bill told Kennedy on the phone, "We may get licked, but we're not quitting. Clintons don't quit." Ten days later, Kennedy told Obama he was ready to give him his endorsement, provided he makes a commitment to health-care reform.