Essentially out of the picture in Michigan, Illinois Senator Barack Obama is going to got after South Carolina with a vengeance and is hoping that the endorsement of the last Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry helps lift him above the pack. Kerry's running mate in 2004 John Edwards was bypassed for the nomination and Clinton's jump on the beat-up Kerry band wagon after his faux pas saying the uneducated end up in Iraq put his own political future in jeopardy.
Although Kerry has maintained his political machine and has a lot of fundraising power behind him that could help Obama's case, if some of that money is attached by the swift boats it could cause harm to his campaign much as it is blamed for sinking Kerry's chances in 2004. There are state polls that suggest a dead heat between Obama and Clinton nationwide.
However, Obama is currently wooing the African-American vote in South Carolina, a state in which for President Bill Clinton and former First Lady Hillary Clinton, now his rival on the ticket, have many friends in the right places. Many South Carolina voters may be torn between the two candidates who do not fit the traditional presidential candidate profile. While most voters will never vote based on race or gender, this primary gives them the opportunity to vote as they say, by qualifications.
After winning the Iowa caucus and coming up second in New Hampshire, Obama appears ready for a battle in the south and by skipping the Michigan political foray will have energy and money with which to allow the fight to escalate as necessary.
