Oprah Endorses Obama

Oprah Winfrey (Photo: Paul Hawthorne/Associated Press)

In Chicago, there is no question who carries the title of the Big O. That would be Oprah Winfrey. It’s a safe bet that Senator Barack Obama doesn’t mind playing second fiddle to the talk show icon, particularly when he has her endorsement at his disposal.

Ms. Winfrey, who for years has been a close friend to Mr. Obama, reaffirmed her support for his presidential candidacy during an interview Tuesday evening on CNN’s Larry King Live. It is the first time that Ms. Winfrey has endorsed – not to mention thrown her brand behind – a political candidate.

“What made you do so now?” Mr. King asked.

“Because I know him personally,” Ms. Winfrey replied. “I think that what he stands for, what he has proven that he can stand for, what he has shown was worth me going out on a limb for – and I haven’t done it in the past because I haven’t felt that anybody, I didn’t know anybody well enough to be able to say, I believe in this person.”

“Is there a side of you, the woman side, that would lead toward a Hillary?” Mr. King inquired.

“Well,” Ms. Winfrey said, “I have great respect for Hillary Clinton. I think I’ve said this before and it’s true: Because I am for Barack does not mean I am against Hillary or anybody else.

“So the fact that I would endorse Barack Obama and the fact that I would support Barack Obama,” Ms. Winfrey added, “I have not one negative thing to say about Hillary Clinton.”

She said she has not written a check to Mr. Obama’s campaign.

“Well the truth of the matter is, whether I contribute or not contribute, you are limited to how much you contribute, so my money isn’t going to make any difference to him,” Ms. Winfrey said. “I think that my value to him, my support of him, is probably worth more than any check.”

And that, of course, raises the ultimate question: What exactly will Ms. Winfrey do for the campaign? Even Mr. Obama’s aides don’t have an answer and are far from certain how they will use – or attempt to use – this endorsement.

But is it such a bad problem to have?