Barack Obama has won the endorsement of Senator Edward Kennedy, a powerful boost for his presidential campaign ahead of Super Tuesday next week, when half of the delegates needed for the Democratic nomination will be chosen.
Mr Kennedy, at 76, is one of the most venerated figures in the Democratic Party. He described Mr Obama as a man with extraordinary gifts of leadership and character, who would be a worthy heir to his assassinated brother, John F Kennedy.
"Through Barack, I believe we will move beyond the politics of fear and personal destruction and unite our country with the politics of common purpose," Mr Kennedy said.
"With Barack Obama, we will turn the page on the old politics of misrepresentation and distortion. With Barack Obama we will close the book on the old politics of race against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group, and straight against gay."
Mr Kennedy announced his endorsement at a rally in Washington, alongside his son, Congressman Patrick Kennedy and John F Kennedy's daughter Caroline, who said that Mr Obama was the only politician who could inspire people as her father had done. The Kennedys' decision to endorse Mr Obama is a painful blow to Hillary Clinton, whose husband, former president Bill Clinton, pleaded last week with Mr Kennedy to stay out of the race.
Sources close to both families said the Massachusetts senator complained that Mr Clinton was heavy-handed in his plea and that Mr Kennedy was displeased by the former president's harsh tone during the campaign in South Carolina last week.
Although Mr Kennedy praised Ms Clinton and John Edwards, the third Democratic candidate, he said that neither inspired him as Mr Obama did. Rejecting the argument that Mr Obama lacked the necessary experience to serve as president, Mr Kennedy recalled that Harry Truman made a similar argument against John F Kennedy.
"There was another time, when another young candidate was running for president and challenging America to cross a new frontier. He faced criticism from the preceding Democratic president, who was widely respected in the party. And John Kennedy replied, 'The world is changing. The old ways will not do . . . It is time for a new generation of leadership'. So it is with Barack Obama," he said.
The Kennedy endorsements not only confer on Mr Obama a magical aura as the heir of Camelot but could be of more immediate, practical benefit as Mr Kennedy campaigns with him in key battleground states in the next few days.
Mr Kennedy's support could help Mr Obama in Massachusetts, one of the biggest states in play next week, where Senator John Kerry and Governor Deval Patrick have already endorsed him. The Massachusetts senator could also help Mr Obama to appeal to voter groups where he is currently trailing Ms Clinton, including older voters, blue collar workers and Hispanics.
Mr Obama also won an endorsement yesterday from Nobel prize-winning writer Toni Morrison, who once described Bill Clinton as the "first black president" of the United States. In a letter to Mr Obama, Ms Morrison said she also admired Ms Clinton for her knowledge and political skill.
The Kennedy endorsements for Mr Obama came hours before President George Bush prepared to deliver his final State of the Union address before he leaves office next January. Mr Bush planned to focus more on domestic issues than in previous years, threatening to veto Bills from Congress that include too many earmarks, add-on provisions that channel federal funds to individual congressional districts.
