An interesting endorsement for Barack Obama.  His state of West Virginia voted for Hillary Clinton by 41, that’s 41, points.  I don’t know — when we get into constituency support of that margin I think I would just as well go along with it.  (Indeed, Hillary Clinton rambled on in her “Victory” speech praising Byrd to the hilt, seemingly grasping for his support which — he’s a figure of some weight, right?)

But the real irony comes in that the man was a Klansman in his youth — as he describes it his puzzling entry into the political sphere.  I do suspect that as much as his stated reason for support regarding Obama’s stronger and more certain stance against the Iraq War the need to ameriolate his past political sins, fully aware of how his KKK past plays in the public mind.  I guess he is on the right side of history this time, as opposed to the obvious Obama predecessor for 1960.  (quick snippet from wikipedia, just because I know it’ll give this general information in a concise manner):

In the 1960 Presidential election primaries, Byrd, a close Senate ally of Lyndon B. Johnson, tried and failed to derail the Democratic frontrunner and ultimately successful candidate John F. Kennedy in the crucial West Virginia primary by endorsing and vigorously campaigning for Hubert Humphrey.^{[citation needed]} Kennedy nonetheless won the state’s primary and, eventually, the general election.

Though it is a little puzzling that they still need a citation for the historical fact of Byrd stumping for Humphrey as a stocking horse for Johnson — news media of the time reported as much.

Kennedy won the primary — largely bought and paid for.  Kennedy did carry it in the general election, probably would not have without Johnson, support sapped due to his Catholicism.

Pertaining to Robert Byrd, this is sort of yesterday’s news.  The voice we have for Robert Byrd today is a tearful speech regarding Senator Edward Kennedy’s condition on the Senate floor — available on youtube or on C-SPAN.

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