Oct 24, 2008 2:08 pm US/Eastern
Former Governor Bill Weld Endorses Obama
By Holly Ramer, Associated Press Writer
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) ―
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William Weld (file image)
AP
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Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) walks off his campaign plane October 23, 2008 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, a Republican, endorsed Democrat
Barack Obama for president on Friday, citing the senator's good judgment, "deep sense of calm" and "first-class political temperament."
Weld said he has never endorsed a Democrat for president before, but in the last six weeks or so, it became "close to a no-brainer." Obama has a history of bringing Democrats, Republicans and independents together and is the best choice at a time when America's standing in the world is at a low point, he said.
"It's not often you get a guy with his combination of qualities, chief among which I would say is the deep sense of calm he displays, and I think that's a product of his equally deep intelligence," he said in a phone interview.
He insisted his endorsement was based on an assessment of Obama's strengths, not Republican John McCain's weaknesses.
"John McCain is a very good guy," he said. "I do think the Republican Party has been playing on an increasingly small field in the last couple of elections."
Weld joined other prominent Republicans endorsing Obama over McCain in the campaign's final weeks, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell, former Minnesota Gov. Arne Carlson and Scott McClellan, former press secretary to President Bush.
Weld announced his support at a news conference at Obama's campaign office in Salem.
Last year, he came to New Hampshire to campaign for another former Massachusetts governor, Republican Mitt Romney, who ended his bid for the presidential nomination in February.
Weld was governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997.
Before that, he was U.S. attorney for Massachusetts under President Reagan and later led the criminal division of the U.S. Justice Department.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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