Kerry endorses the content of Obama’s character

BROWNSVILLE — Democrats here continued to size up their options for president Saturday as Sen. John Kerry made a stop at the University of Texas-Brownsville/Texas Southmost College to stump for Sen. Barack Obama.

Many of those who attended the event scurried over from former first daughter Chelsea Clinton’s stop at the opposite end of campus earlier that afternoon to rally supporters of her mother, Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Michael Gonzalez, a precinct captain for Obama’s campaign office in Brownsville, said he has attended local events for both candidates in the spirit of one of Obama’s recent dictums: Talk to your enemies as well as your friends.

“Once you’ve woken up the spirit of involvement, you can’t control it,” said UTB/TSC president Juliet V. Garcia. “I’m very excited for the students to see that their votes are being counted and their voices are being heard.”

Kerry received a standing ovation as he entered the university’s Cassia Salon with state Rep. Eddie Lucio III, D-Brownsville.

The Massachusetts senator showed his quick sense of humor as he joked about his emergency helicopter landing last week in Afghanistan and the plan he and his stranded fellow senators hatched to use snowballs to combat the Taliban or talk them to death with longwinded speechifying.

His easygoing manner and warm enthusiasm about Obama was a departure from the constricted persona he projected during his bid for president four years ago.

He spoke with conviction and hope about Obama and sought to quell criticism that the optimism in the Illinois senator is misdirected.

Kerry invoked Martin Luther King Jr., asking his audience to abide by the civil rights activist’s famous words to judge a man “not by the color of his skin but by the content of his character.”

But Kerry’s remarks moved far beyond race as he discussed the frequent criticism that Obama lacks the experience necessary to be an effective president. Kerry detailed Obama’s career and his own interactions with his fellow senator on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which Kerry has served on for 24 years.

“I’ve watched him, the questions he asks,” Kerry said. “Barack comes to this job with instinct.”

Kerry made frequent reference to the large veterans community in the Rio Grande Valley. He asked assured vets that Obama is a candidate who cares deeply about their need for a Veterans Affairs hospital in the region — the nearest one is in San Antonio, about a 290-mile drive from Brownsville.

Like former President Bill Clinton’s involvement in his wife’s campaign, Kerry’s push for Obama is not without its dangers: Kerry’s close loss of the 2004 presidential race was still a sore spot for many of those who attended the UTB/TSC rally, stirring up memories of defeat that still bear a sting four years later.

But the candidates haven’t relied exclusively on surrogates to pump up support ahead of the crucial March 4 primaries in Texas and Ohio. Hillary Clinton and Obama both made personal appearances in the Valley last week to rally the faithful and court undecided voters.

With 2,025 delegate votes needed to clinch the Democratic nomination for the presidency, Obama leads Clinton 1,362 to 1,266 — a difference of 96 delegates — in the latest tally by The Associated Press.