Breaking: Al Gore To Endorse Barack Obama

The Tennessean newspaper is reporting that Al Gore is poised to endorse Barack Obama at a news conference Wednesday:

Former Vice President Al Gore’s office confirms that he will endorse Democratic Senator Barack Obama tomorrow morning. The Senator from Illinois was able to secure the much sought after endorsement on a telephone call with the Vice President last night.

The Politico reports on the reaction from Hillary Clinton’s campaign:

On a just concluded conference call, Clinton campaign’s chief strategist Mark Penn dismissed the Gore endorsement. He said, "it is long past the time when this endorsement would be considered significant. Al Gore represents the pre-9/11 way of thinking. It will make no difference to our campaign. We are in it to win it."

Later in the call, Howard Wolfson added, "we have the greatest respect for the Vice President. We think it is a fine vice presidential endorsement."

CNN was able to get reaction from some prominent Clinton surrogates:

Clinton supporter James Carville was dismissive of the endorsement. Reached by phone at his home, he unapologetically said, "I think he is Judas. He betrayed the Clintons. Hillary Clinton made him the man he is today. Hillary introduced him to the Internet and gave him the global warming slides. He is disloyal. I mean it." He then added before hanging up the phone, "I am mad as hell. I am going to write all about this Judas in an op-ed on the Pttsburgh-Tribune Review."

Geraldine Ferraro, prominent Clinton supporter, told the Daily Breeze, "Barack Obama is lucky to get this endorsement. It only proves my point. If Obama was a white man or a white woman, Al Gore would not have endorsed him. This endorsement clearly shows how lucky he is."

Lanny Davis told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that he was disappointed with the endorsement. He said that he had "two questions" for Al Gore that he would later post in a blog on the Huffington Post.

Asked about the national security implications of Al Gore’s endorsement, terrorism expert Larry Johnson said that it was troubling to see Al Gore endorse Ice Cube. He said that having gangstas in the White House would pose serious national security risks.

Hillary Clinton was unavailable for comment.