Obama is the new JFK says Kennedy's daughter

BARACK Obama was dubbed the "new JFK" by the late president's daughter yesterday, as he celebrated a landslide victory in the South Carolina primary election.

Caroline Kennedy, who has traditionally stayed out of politics, declared Mr Obama the most inspirational leader since her father, John F Kennedy.

"I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them," she wrote in the New York Times. "But, for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president – not just me, but for a new generation of Americans."

Her endorsement came on the same day that her uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy, threw his weight behind Mr Obama's campaign. The Democrat hopeful was celebrating a huge win in the South Carolina primary, which saw him poll double the number of votes of Hillary Clinton.

Mr Obama confounded pollsters who had predicted a modest victory, by winning 55 per cent of the vote compared to Mrs Clinton's 27 per cent.

"We have the most votes, the most delegates and the most diverse coalition of Americans that we've seen in a long, long time," Mr Obama said.

His victory has revived a campaign that had been sagging following losses to Mrs Clinton in the New Hampshire and Nevada primaries. Equally important has been the double-endorsement from the Kennedys, the nearest thing America has to a royal family.

While Mr Obama has support among the junior ranks of the Democratic party, he has struggled to win over an establishment that, until now, has sided with the Clinton camp.

Mr Kennedy, the second longest-serving member of the United States Senate, gave his endorsement the week after the media reported that he had castigated Mrs Clinton's husband, Bill, for "overstepping the mark" in campaigning for her.

Mr Clinton has concerned senior party members by not only supporting his wife, but also acting as "attack dog" to criticise Mr Obama, breaking with a tradition of former presidents staying out of primary races.

"The fact that Caroline Kennedy did it is big, but the fact that Teddy Kennedy – the very voice of the Democratic establishment – has said the torch has been passed, that's huge," said Phil Noble, a pro-Obama Democratic party official.

Mr Obama's victory confounded pollsters who had predicted a racially divided electorate. While Mr Obama won 80 per cent of the black vote, he also secured a quarter of the white vote, more than the 10 per cent polls had predicted.

The women's vote did not seem to help Mrs Clinton either: she won just 30 per cent of female voters, compared to Mr Obama's 54 per cent.

Until now, Mr Clinton has been regarded as an asset to her, to the point where he makes as many speeches as she does in the campaigning.

Yet a CNN post-election poll found that voters were turning against the former president because of his attacks on Mr Obama, the most prominent of which saw Mrs Clinton describe his rival's anti-war stance as a "fairy tale". This poll, and the criticism from Mr Kennedy, may force the Clinton camp into a rethink as the campaign enters its most critical phase.

The Democrats are now preparing for 5 February – "Super Tuesday" – when 22 states go to the polls, including the heavyweights California, Illinois and New York.

With two primary elections apiece, Mrs Clinton and Mr Obama feel they are in a strong position to capitalise on the other's weaknesses.

John Edwards, meanwhile, may be contemplating an early exit. He has come third in three out of the four previous primaries and the best he can hope for will be to use his delegates in the role of "king maker" in the summer convention.

Obama victory down to black and white
BARACK Obama was expected to win the South Carolina primary, but few of his campaign staff dared dream that they might win by a landslide.

As the votes were counted, it became clear that more South Carolinians had voted for him than Hillary Clinton and John Edwards combined.

Mrs Clinton's camp did its best to dismiss his victory, pointing out that the Reverend Jesse Jackson had won the South Carolina primary in 1984 and 1988. South Carolina, in other words, did not necessarily mean much.

But Rev Jackson did not manage to win as much as 10 per cent of the white vote in South Carolina; Mr Obama polled 25 per cent in a tough three-way race.

The Clintons have sought to frame Mr Obama as "the black candidate" – the theory being that white voters will be less likely to support a black candidate if he is defined first and foremost as a standard-bearer for racial and identity politics.

The scale of Mr Obama's victory, however, allowed papers and pundits to report how a "coalition of whites and blacks" had delivered this victory.

His win also pointed to a new south: while just 15 per cent of white voters over 60 voted for him, more than half those under 30 did.

ALEX MASSIE

MCCAIN POISED TO WIN AS GIULIANI'S HOPES FADE

JOHN McCain is poised for a dramatic victory in the Republican primary election tomorrow that may destroy the chances of Rudy Giuliani, the former front-runner.

Following the endorsement by the New York Times and Florida's governor, Charlie Crist, Mr McCain leads the pack for this vital primary election with 27 per cent of the predicted vote.

Mr Giuliani, the former New York mayor who once rode a wave of popularity following his conduct after the 9/11 tragedy, has seen his poll numbers plummet.

Some blame his poor showing on a decision not to campaign in the six previous Republican primaries, saying this starved him of much-needed publicity. He has also been hurt by criticisms that he claimed undue credit for his role after the World Trade Centre bombing.

One hard-hitting television advertisement in Florida contains withering criticism by New York firefighters that, as mayor, Mr Giuliani refused to pay for better radios that could have saved lives when the Twin Towers collapsed.

Just as important, if harder to gauge, may be simple likeability. His hard-edged stance on tax cuts and criticisms of the Democratic Party are in stark contrast to the more homely messages put out by Mr McCain.

He is two points ahead of Mitt Romney, who hopes to add to his recent primary victories in Michigan, South Carolina and Wyoming while Mr Giuliani shares third place in the polls with Mick Huckabee, the Christian Right candidate who has one primary victory, in Iowa.

The Democratic Party has removed voting rights from Florida candidates in protest against a state decision to bring forward the date for its primary, meaning tomorrow's vote will have no influence on its presidential nomination.