Hamilton Endorses Obama

News Release: From: Barack Obama Campaign Lee Hamilton Endorses Barack Obama for President INDIANAPOLIS – Former Indiana U.S. Congressman Lee Hamilton, the Vice-Chair of the 9/11 Commission and one of America’s most respected foreign policy voices, announced his endorsement of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama for President this morning, citing Obama’s ability to unite the county and his visionary approach to foreign policy: “Barack Obama has the best opportunity to create a new sense of national unity and to transcend divisions within this country, not by ignoring them or smoothing them over, but by working together with candor and civility to meet our challenges. He champions the politics of consensus, not of partisan division. He is driven by the search for the common good. Obama strongly appeals to the restless, practical, non-ideological, results-oriented Americans who will ultimately be decisive in choosing the next president. “Obama has brought hundreds of thousands of new voters into the political process, making the Democratic Party more representative of the people of this nation and giving it new energy. I am impressed by his wide reach and appeal across the electorate. He is redesigning the contours of American politics, expanding Democrats’ electoral reach, and inspiring a whole new generation of voters. If elected, he will lead the country in a manner consistent with the values, hopes, and dreams of the American people, bridging many of the gaps that separate us.” “His foreign policy is pragmatic, visionary, and tough. Barack Obama understands the urgent need for American leadership in confronting many of the challenges ahead, first and foremost defending the safety and security of the American people. He will work with our friends and allies. Obama will strengthen our ability to use all the tools of American power, and relentlessly promote the American values of freedom and justice for all people. “Obama has the best chance to start fresh, to change, and to inspire the country in its march toward a stronger and more perfect union.” Obama warmly welcomed Hamilton’s endorsement. “I am honored to have the support of Lee Hamilton, who is one of our nation’s most respected voices on national security,” Obama said. “Through his 34 years in the House and his extraordinary leadership on the 9/11 Commission and the Iraq Study Group, Congressman Hamilton has been a model of integrity and a source of wisdom. Few public servants have done more to advance American foreign policy or to serve the people of Indiana, and I look forward to drawing on his counsel in the months ahead.” Lee Hamilton represented Indiana’s 9th Congressional District for 34 years in Washington. He is president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and director of The Center on Congress at Indiana University. Hamilton is a member of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, the Presidents Homeland Security Advisory Council and the FBI Director’s Advisory Board. He was the co-chair of the Iraq Study Group, a bi-partisan commission that made recommendations to the Bush administration about how to proceed in the Iraq War. Hamilton graduated from DePauw University and Indiana University Law School.