Ted Kennedy Rebuffs Clinton Pleas

Following up on the news of the Kennedy Endorsements yesterday, it appears that the Clinton worked very hard to prevent this, indicating that this is a very big deal indeed.

The Clinton campaign launched a last-ditch effort over the last few days to stop Kennedy's move, orchestrating a flood of phone calls to Kennedy from sources ranging from union chiefs to his Massachusetts constituents.

The former president also called Kennedy in a vain attempt to keep him out of the race, a source familiar with the conversation said.

During his two terms in the White House, President Clinton made repeated overtures to the Kennedy family. So the senator's rejection of his wife is at least as embarrassing as her 28-point loss in the South Carolina primary on Saturday.

That sure sounds like good news for Obama, but I am seriously wondering what the Kennedy name and endorsements are worth in Democratic political circles today. Certainly not what it used to be, but apparently enough that Bill would personally plead to stop it. My guess is that the endorsement itself may not mean that much, but access to Ted Kennedy's network and list of donor names is absolutely priceless.

So this not only is a big boost for Obama but a huge blow to the Clintons ego. When and if Hillary wins, there could be some frosty senate-white house relations.