Senator Bob Casey Endorses Obama

Stuns Pennsylvania by Offering "Opinion"

(AP) Pittsburgh - In a surprise announcement today, Senator Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) announced his support of Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama, which also came as his first official position on anything since being elected to the Senate in 2006.

Casey, who appeared with Obama at a rally in the university district in Pittsburgh, was surprisingly forceful in his endorsement, calling his Senatorial colleague: "a Democratic Candidate for President."

"There are those that say that we should change, while others say that we should remain steadfast. There are those that want to move forward and those that want to step back. There are those that are content with what we have done and there are those that believe that there is much more that we could do. To all those people, I say, the answer is Yes.'"

He added, "For that reason, I acknowledge that Barack Obama is running for President."

The Senator from Pennsylvania was conspicuous in his decision to wear a dark gray suit with blue tie, a drastic departure from his signature beige suit, with beige ties, and matching beige shirt.

Professor Wenfeng Finkle of the University of Pittsburgh Political Science Department called Casey's announcement "a big moment" in the Senator's own personal history.

"People close to Casey were surprised by this announcement considering his previously announced intentions to remain neutral throughout the campaign and term of office. The Senator has been routinely ranked near the bottom of Congressional Power rankings due to his limited tenure and his "don't make waves" policy. It was expected that he would endorse Senator Hillary Clinton, who continues to hold a lead in the polls in this generally conservative Democratic State. The fact that he's making a decision, any decision, is remarkable, but considering the divisiveness of the electorate, this particularly decision is extraordinary."

Insiders believe that this bold move by Casey may be related to the 1992 incident when the Senator's father Gov. Bob Casey, Sr. was denied a speaking role at the Democratic Convention . After the convention, the senior Casey went on vacation rather than campaign for candidate Bill Clinton in Pennsylvania, which was a key swing state.

The former Governor was unavailable for comment.

Senator Casey is currently the Junior Senator from Pennsylvania. He is in his second year of office, following his defeat of Senator Rick Santorum, who had propounded a controversial position regarding "man-on-dog" sex.