MILWAUKEE -- Lincoln Chafee, former Republican Senator from Rhode Island, indicated in February that that he planned to change his party registration -- at least on primary day March 4 -- and endorsing Senator Barack Obama's presidential candidacy. As the US marked the five-year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, Senators Chafee and Obama could reflect on their shared opposition to the war. Senator Chafee was the only Republican who had the courage to vote against the war resolution in October 2002.

"I believe Senator Obama is the best candidate to restore American credibility, to restore our confidence to be moral and to bring people together to solve the complex issues such as the economy, the environment and global stability," Mr. Chafee said in a conference call with reporters on February 14.

Mr. Chafee, who lost his re-election bid in 2006 and became an independent last year, was one of the Senate's most moderate Republicans. He served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with Mr. Obama.

The endorsement came in advance of the Rhode Island primary on March 4, the same day as voters in Ohio and Texas went to the polls to help determine the Democratic presidential nominating fight. Mr. Chafee offered no guarantees on the power of his endorsement, but said he simply told Mr. Obama he believed he was the best candidate for the job.

"I said I'd do anything he wanted," Mr. Chafee said, recounting his phone call to Mr. Obama, "and I was going to vote for him."

In one regard, it is a curious choice. Two years ago, Senator John McCain came to Rhode Island to campaign on Mr. Chafee's behalf. Mr. Obama campaigned for his opponent, Sheldon Whitehouse, who ultimately prevailed.

This year, Mr. Whitehouse supports Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. And Mr. McCain is on his way to winning the Republican nomination

Asked about his switch of loyalties, Mr. Chafee said: "I’m sure Sen. McCain will understand."

Drawn from the NY Times Political Blog, 2/14/08