Did you get this earlier? I got my concession email from Hillary Clinton at 1:36am this morning. Clinton says she'll have an as yet unspecified "event" in DC this Saturday, during which:

On Saturday, I will extend my congratulations to Senator Obama and my support for his candidacy. This has been a long and hard-fought campaign, but as I have always said, my differences with Senator Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans.

Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Joe Andrew, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton in 1999, has switched his allegiance from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama. Andrew said he reached the decision without any lobbying from the Obama campaign. He had originally endorsed Clinton back in November 2007, the same day she formally announced her candidacy. Now, not only is Andrew supporting Obama, he's contacting the superdelegates he knows and encouraging them to do the same:

Andrew has also penned a letter to other surrogates urging them to rally behind Obama and end the nomination battle quickly. Andrew writes “a vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote to continue this process, and a vote to continue this process is a vote that assists (Republican) John McCain,” according to AP.

Liberal Values' Ron Chusid says:

Today’s pick up for Clinton might be one of the more damaging ones, possibly shifting the momentum back in Obama’s favor in time for next week’s vote.

Clinton supporter Taylor Marsh says Andrew and other Obama surrogates are trying to stop the people's will:

What a guy. Clinton "attack dogs." Yeah, that helps. No argument in favor of Obama, just that poor Joe is a-fwaid that if we continue to let the people decide things will get too negative, while making sure it is. So, STOP THE VOTING is the signal. Stop the fight for who's the best candidate to win in November, even though Obama hasn't closed the deal, and Clinton is gaining. No wonder we lose presidential elections.

UPDATE: Andrew discusses his switch in a blog up over at the Huffington Post.

Former Clinton administration Secretary of Labor Robert Reich has endorsed Barack Obama on his blog:

My avoidance of offering a formal endorsement until now has also been affected by the pull of old friendships and my reluctance as a teacher and commentator to be openly partisan. But my conscience won't let me be silent any longer.

Much to his credit, Reich keeps the value of such endorsements in perspective in his opening statement:

The formal act of endorsing a candidate is generally (and properly)limited to editorial pages and elected officials whose constituents might be influenced by their choice. The rest of us shouldn't assume anyone cares.

Nonetheless,having another longtime Clinton associate break ranks to endorse Obama is certainly not good news for Hillary Clinton and is fueling talk that Clinton should exit the race sooner than later. Clinton supporter Jerome Armstrong takes offense to a growing thread on liberal blogs that sees them accusing Clinton of running her campaign like a "Republican":

As a political operative, it blows my mind that people like Reich are now trying to define tactics as being either Republican or Democrat. And worse, that the measure is whether it offends the style of people like Reich. This kind of advice that leads to the wilderness.

Probably safe to file this under "endorsements don't matter." Over at his website, Bruce Springsteen endorsed Barack Obama and defended him against charges of elitism:

At the moment, critics have tried to diminish Senator Obama through the exaggeration of certain of his comments and relationships. While these matters are worthy of some discussion, they have been ripped out of the context and fabric of the man's life and vision, so well described in his excellent book, Dreams From My Father, often in order to distract us from discussing the real issues: war and peace, the fight for economic and racial justice, reaffirming our Constitution, and the protection and enhancement of our environment.

The endorsement is getting plenty of coverage today from a media that has long appeared disproportionately obsessed with the classic rocker. The Moderate Voice's Shaun Mullen also appears to be a Springsteen fan, but offers this perhaps unintentional anecdote about "The Boss'" ability to move actual voters:

Springsteen made his first foray into presidential politics by performing at events for 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry. He pulled huge crowds to hear Kerry speak in Wisconsin, Ohio and other battleground states days before Kerry’s defeat.

Stephen Bainbridge adds:

Look, I like Springsteen. He’s right up there with Eric Clapton and The Who at the top of my playlist. But I’m not going to take political advice from him. It’s especially amusing that Springsteen would be trying to lend working class credibility to Obama when Springsteen is now one of the richest celebrities in music

There were two Bill Richardsons during the Democratic primary season: The pragmatic, tax-cutting, Iraq war supporting, gun rights advocate who was successfully re-elected in a swing state, adding to his already impressive resume. And then there was the Richardson who ran for the nomination: abandoning that record in favor of an immediate and complete withdrawal from Iraq and ditching any previous policy position in the desperate hope of securing a few more votes. Not surprisingly, the strategy did not work. And now comes a report claiming that it was Richardson who argued to the Clintons that Barack Obama was not electable against John MCain.

TPM's Greg Sargent adds:

Now I've got more. A top Hillary adviser confirms this, telling me:

"Bill Richardson repeatedly promised he would not endorse Obama -- and the reason he gave was that Obama wasn't ready -- he couldn't be elected."

TNR's Jason Zengerle says, right or wrong, the Clintons have made this a bigger story than it needs to be:

You'd have thought that the Clinton people would have wanted to downplay the Richardson's endorsement of Obama. And, if they hadn't sqwuaked so much, I bet it would have been a one- or two-day story. But here we are, nearly two weeks after Richardson did the deed, and the press is still talking about it--because the Clintons won't shut up about it. I don't see how this helps Hillary. Seriously, the Clinton people should just let it go.

Red State's Erick Erickson ignores the Richardson flip-flop, but agrees with the view that Obama can't win.

9/11 Commission co-chair (and former Indiana congressman) Lee Hamilton has endorsed Barack Obama for president. Hamilton has been out of office for nearly a decade and was not a statewide-elected lawmaker, so it's doubtful his endorsement will do much to move voters in the state's May 6th primary, where Hillary Clinton leads in most polls. But his endorsement is still significant in that it runs counter to the argument that Obama lacks the foreign policy expertise to be commander-in-chief. In fact, Hamilton specifically cited two of Obama's foreign policy proposals as his reason for making the endorsement:

Hamilton said he agreed with Obama's position on meeting with U.S. adversaries such as the leaders of Iran without conditions. Also, Obama's consideration of unilateral military action against terrorist hideouts in Pakistan, is already U.S. policy, Hamilton said.

Liberal Value's Ron Chusid adds:

Hamilton was on Bill Clinton’s short list to run as Vice President, joining a long list of foreign policy experts who have been tied to Clinton who have endorsed Obama.

Pennsylvania Democrat Bob Casey's endorsement of Barack Obama is getting plenty of attention both in the traditional media and on the blogs. Everyone is debating how much the first term senator's endorsement helps Obama move white, working class voters in the state to his side. I think the real benefit is that the media will be talking about this all day, adding to the growing perception that the race is over and Clinton needs to step aside.

Andrew Sullivan says:

Casey's another interesting one to put on the veep list. A pro-life Catholic from Pennsylvania.

I suppose Casey could help secure PA for Obama in the fall, but he also won his seat against a deeply flawed candidate in a terrible year for Republicans and was the beneficiary of nepotism to boot.

TNR's Eve Fairbanks adds:

Has there been any senatorial endorsement in this race that's really affected a primary's outcome? Senators tend not to have the kind of local support networks and political machines that mayors or governors can deploy on behalf of their choice. And in terms of Casey's star power throughout the state -- well, reviews of his first year in office in the Pennsylvania newspapers this winter tended to use words like "subdued," "low-key" (read: invisible), and "Senator who?"

The top story in the blogosphere right now is reaction to this ABC News Report on Barack Obama's pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who says:

"The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people," he said in a 2003 sermon. "God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."

The Moderate Voice takes Obama's views on race in America as authentic, but adds:

I firmly believe that Barack Obama’s feelings and views about race are precisely as he’s presented them — both on the campaign trail and in his books. However, I also think Obama’s going to have to draw very strong, clear distinctions between himself and Jeremiah Wright for the citizens of this country — much more than he’s thus far done.

James Joyner says both McCain and Obama have received questionable endorsements, but that it's just part of the game:

Unfortunately, the process of building a winning national coalition means appealing to some unsavory types. Politicians walk a fine line when accepting endorsements from these people and expecting them to denounce every nutty idea any of their supporters might harbor is asking too much.

And the Carpetbagger Report's Steve Benen makes a good point:

There are plenty of disconcerting remarks included in Wright’s record, but I guess there’s a political upside for Obama: he can’t be a Muslim and a Christian with a radical pastor at the same time.

But that doesn't mean prominent conservative bloggers like Michelle Malkin won't add this to their arsenal of anti-Obama talking points.

President Bush's Rose Garden endorsement of John McCain today is a mixed bag for the Arizona senator. On one hand, the roughly 30 percent of voters who still support Bush are largely the same contingent that have resisted McCain's candidacy. On the other hand, most independent voters that make McCain such a viable candidate appear quite ready to move on from the Bush era.

Even those who still support the war in Iraq, or those who think McCain would be the best commander-in-chief even if they now oppose the war, Bush's assertion that McCain will not change his foreign policy was probably not the day's best-received line:

And the good news about our candidate there will be a new president, a man of character and courage, but he's not going to change when it comes to taking on the enemy.He understands this is a dangerous world.

Think Progress is up with a post on the endorsement press conference, saying that McCain is "officially" pursuing a "third Bush term."

Blue Texan at Firedoglake plays up the "third term" theme as well:

Bush proceeded to do a little soft shoe for the press. "I'm just going to tap dance," he said.

And that's exactly what St. McCain is going to have to do when Democrats keep reminding voters that voting for St. McCain is just the same as voting for a third term for Bush.

A day after his best debate performance, Fred Thompson picks up the endorsement of the conservative magazine Human Events. The endorsement makes three references to Reagan, including one directly comparing the two lawmakers:

We like the way Thompson unhesitatingly attacks the liberal ideologues and their activists such as MoveOn.org and the ACLU, and the way he reaches out to those we knew as the Reagan Democrats.

The question now is whether Sen. Thompson will do what he has not yet done: Take the advantages he is given by his intelligence, his principles, his political skills and this endorsement and make the best use of them.

Thompson also gets overwhelming support from a poll of conservative bloggers posted on Right Wing News. Along with winning against the GOP field, Thompson comes far out ahead in every positive category. Of course, it's also worth noting that Duncan Hunter comes in second. Maybe bloggers just like the drop out tease?