IDP chair in Obama's corner now

Iowa Democratic Party chairman Scott Brennan, a "super" delegate to his party's presidential nominating convention in Denver this summer, has endorsed Barack Obama.  Brennan chatted with me by phone about his decision (mp3 last 3 minutes).

"John McCain's run three ads here and has been here and I want to be able to get started on our general election and I think as of tonight Senator Obama will have a majority of pledged delegates...the pledged delegates seems to me to be a real marker," Brennan said.

Hillary Clinton has said the race is "nowhere near over" and I asked Brennan if he were suggesting the contrary -- that Obama had sewn up the nomination.

"I'm just saying that as the things that I look at as important, you know, I'm concerned that I would like to get us toward our general election strategy," Brennan said.  "You know certainly Senator Clinton has every right to continue to campaign. I like Senator Clinton.  I respect Senator Clinton and she should stay in this as long as she believes that she's making her mark."

Brennan backed John Edwards in the 2004 Iowa Caucuses but was officially "neutral" in the 2008 campaign.

Here's the brief Radio Iowa story on Brennan's endorsement.