I'm still digging my way back to current events after my out-of-town weekend, so it took me a while to notice this post at Below Boston which pointed out, among other things, an article by David Corn where Corn gets Congressman Jim McGovern (D-Worcester) to explain why he endorsed Hillary Clintion for President. McGovern has been, to my mind, the most outspoken of all our Massachusetts Congressmen against the Iraq war. So much so, that he was reportedly close to voting against the recent supplemental spending bill because it didn't go far enough toward ending the war. It was therefore a surprise to me when he announced a in March that he was endorsing the candidate considered the most hawkish of the 2008 Democratic frontrunners.
In the article, Corn gets McGovern to admit that his endorsement is partially because of his own daughter:
"I picked up my daughter from kindergarten the day after Hillary announced her presidential campaign, and all these five-year-old girls were talking about Hillary. I found it amazing. They were excited about Hillary's candidacy. I realized if she's elected, she breaks an important glass ceiling. These little girls learn about presidents who are only men. For me this is a very powerful moment."McGovern goes on to say that all the 2008 Democrats are against the war, and that he's not interested in hearing an apology from Senator Clinton for her war vote. He's instead interested in ending the war and considers Clinton the candidate best positioned to do so. Normally endorsements don't mean much, but McGovern may be able to make a Clinton candidacy more palatable to people who oppose the Iraq war.
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