Endorsement Hoopla, Obama Roundup

Endorsement Hoopla, Obama Roundup

A couple sources this morning discussing Iowa's congressional delegation and presidential endorsements.

Hotline jumps on Dave Loebsack's appearance at the Obama rally and asks "is it an endorsement." And while my new congressman did say some nice things about that guy from the next state over, I didn't hear a commitment. Here's what I did hear, as fast as I could type:

Iowa takes its job seriously. The caucus process is the most democratic - small d - way to do this, we have the opportunity to talk about the issues and ask the hard questions, and a lot of us have been doing that for a lot of years.”

Let’s do our job and choose the best person for the Democratic nomination and let’s begin here in Iowa.

"Choose the best person", not "Barack Obama is the best person."

And as Iowa Progress and Jane Norman note, Leonard Boswell will share a stage with anyone, anywhere, anytime:

The no-endorsement policy at the moment extends to former Gov. Tom Vilsack, and Boswell even said he is not sure he will ever endorse anyone.

"This is nothing new," he says. "We have an awesome responsibility having the first caucus. ... I want people to come to Iowa, and I'll offer up what I can do."

"I reserve the right to decide, but in the past I have not."

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Some other reports on Obama in CR yesterday:

Chris Dorsey, Iowa Politics

Gazette

Mike Hlas, also Gazette

Associated Press (where were you, Mike Glover?)

Register has the civilian, from the hall story. But Yepsen, being Yepsen, of course, gets the exclusive on the bus (was it ethanol-fueled?) from CR to Waterloo.