I’ve taken a little political vacay with Pennsylvania so far away and all the B.S. Pastor Wright-based mudslinging going on, so sorry this is a bit late. Could this be a sign of things to come? Does anybody else smell a possible Barack-Bill ticket? No, not that slimeball–Bill Richardson. Solid foreign policy experience, executive experience, Latino support, age, political experience, etc…works for me.

That’s right; today, one of my heroes, Robert De Niro, endorsed another one of my heroes, Barack Obama.

Al Capone. Jimmy The Jet. Jake La Motta. Sam “Ace” Rothstein. Travis Bickle. Vito Corleone. The tough guy roles go on and on, but today the tough guy actor was on a roll.

From the N.Y. Observer:

Robert De Niro has shown up to pitch for Barack Obama, just as the rumor had it, here at the Izod Center at the Meadowlands. He’s looking sporty in a blue blazer. “Barack Obama does not have the experience to be president of the United States” is his opening line. For one thing: “He wasn’t experienced enough to authorize the invasion of Iraq.”

“And that’s not all,” he went on. “It’s clear Barack Obama does not have the experience to let the special interests run the government.”…

“That’s the kind of inexperience I can get used to,” said DeNiro.

“I’ve never made a speech like this at a political event before,” he said. “Sooo, what am I doing here?”

“Finally, one person has inspired me,” he said. Guess who!

“Lemme just speak to you young people here,” he continued. “The rest of you can listen –it’s okay. I’ve been concerned that so many of you aren’t voting…. No one inspired you. You wanted to vote, you just didn’t have anyone you wanted to vote for. You know what? I felt the same. Until now.”

I love it. He really put a hit on Hillary without calling her out, and at the same time vouched for Goodfella Obama. Bobby, you are definitely in my circle of trust!

• The L.A. Times makes it’s first presidential endorsement since ‘72 — it’s Obama.

• Oprah is goin’ back to Cali. You’re the shit, Oprah.

• The post-Edwards race is a tie, according to Rasmussen.

• MoveOn.org — which I’m proudly a member of — endrosed its first ever presidential candidate today. Yep, Obama.

• Bill Richardson didn’t endorse Obama before Super Tuesday, but at least he didn’t endorse Clinton.

• But could a possible Gore endorsement be on the way?

Click here to e-mail Governor Bill Richardson and ask him to endorse Barack Obama. Richardson is highly respected in the Democratic party, among Latino voters and in the Southwest. His endorsement would be huge. Implore him to endorse the right leader for our party and country moving forward. Enough e-mails — and there already have been quite I few I understand — could potentially make a difference. Just drop him a quick line.

The Chuck Norris and Sly Stallone endorsements look kind of silly now. Why? Because Obamamania now has the power of Hulkamania behind eat. You better say your prayers and eat your vitamins, Hillary and the GOP. Obamamania is about to run wild ON YOU!

What a great endorsement and terrific speech. The Clintons have to be scared shitless at this juncture, because this is the closest thing to JFK himself passing the torch to Obama as their could possibly be.

It wasn’t just Caroline Kennedy who felt compelled to endorse Barack Obama on the heels of his dominant victory in South Carolina, but also four of America’s most prominent newspapers. The endorsements read like the movie reviews of a Best Picture contender:

• The Chicago Tribune:

Our takeaway: Obama has the confidence to speak truth, poll-tested or not.

• The Philadelphia Enquirer:

The question is whether a first-term U.S. senator with no major record as an Illinois legislator is ready to be president. His life story says yes. This former community organizer knows how to bring people together to beat the odds. Others who seemed an unlikely fit rose to the occasion once in the Oval Office. Obama could do that, too.

• San Francisco Chronicle:

There is no doubt about the Democrat with the vision and skills to bring that period of reprieve and renewal. It is Sen. Barack Obama.

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Comets don’t come around that often. In January of 1961, Ann Dunham Obama was six weeks pregnant with Barack Obama Sr.’s child when President Kennedy said at his inauguration that “the torch has been passed to a new generation.” It’s that time again.

It seems like the country was just waiting for this big win to jump on board.

UPDATE: Add one more…

• The Arizona Republic:

“Obama’s call for Americans to believe in their power to change things is Kennedy-esque in its idealism. But it is also solidly rooted in an understanding of how badly the nation needs to remember its true strengths.”