Former Bush Press Secretary Endorses Obama

In less than two weeks, two prominent former members of the Bush administration have made announcements that they will be supporting Barack Obama – and not Republican candidate John McCain – on November 4th. The latest to cross party lines and align himself with the Obama campaign is Scott McClellan, the former White House press secretary who served under Bush from 2003 to 2006.

McClellan made the announcement during a taping of a new show on CNN hosted by comedian D.L. Hughley. That’s right, D.L. is apparently hosting a new show on CNN that will premiere this weekend at 10PM. The show is tentatively titled D.L. Hughley Breaks the News and is expected to have a format similar to the Tonight Show or the Late Show with David Letterman. D.L. will comment on the news of the day and also interview guests.

During the exchange, Hughley joking begs McClellan to announce who he will be endorsing in the upcoming election and McClellan finally gives in, explaining that he had planned on endorsing Obama from the beginning. McClellan went further in saying that he believed that Obama is the candidate most likely to shake things up in Washington and effect meaningful change in the way the country is run.

The first defector from the Bush camp was the much-publicized and somewhat surprising announcement from Colin Powell on Meet the Press. Powell focused his criticism of the GOP on the McCain campaign’s tactics and McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate.

As the election nears, most political figures and even some celebrities have made news by announcing their choice for the next President of the United States. And now that the home stretch is upon us, expect more of the same, although one has to question whether or not such public endorsements have any real impact on voters’ decisions.