Obama puts the moves on Spratt

Think Barack Obama wants the blessing of Congressman John Spratt? Their chance encounter Thursday on Capitol Hill should give us a pretty good answer.

Bottom line: Spratt remains uncommitted in the superdelegate contest between Obama and Hillary Clinton, his office told The Herald this afternoon. It's unclear when, and if, Spratt will announce which candidate he supports.

The New York Times reported on the Obama/Spratt moment in a story published today. Here's an excerpt:

"Mr. Obama created an uproar as he worked the chamber for more than half an hour, accepting congratulations for his primary showing Tuesday, shaking hands and sharing hugs with Democrats in his camp, some in Mrs. Clinton's camp and even some Republicans. He did a little curtsy before Representative John M. Spratt Jr. of South Carolina, chairman of the Budget Committee and one of the sought-after uncommitted superdelegates."

The full story can be found at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/us/politics

Spratt was in Rock Hill today for a ceremony honoring former Mayor Betty Jo Rhea. Tonight, he'll attend the county party's annual Spring Forward fundraiser in Fort Mill. Maybe we'll get a chance to ask about the alleged curtsy.

People in Spratt's inner circle say he is keeping his intentions close to the vest, but will almost certainly support Obama when the time comes. His handling of the situation may mirror that of close friend and fellow South Carolina Democrat Jim Clyburn, who also hasn't made his intentions known.

Here's part of a story I did in The Herald a few weeks ago.

In a recent interview, Spratt said he's not ready to commit, though he hinted Obama's popularity in the 5th District cannot be ignored in his decision. Obama won all 14 counties in the district during the South Carolina Democratic primary in January.

"That makes him the presumptive choice, but I'm still keeping my options open," said Spratt. "I haven't made my final decision. Let's just leave it at that."

In heavily populated York County, Obama garnered 9,020 votes, compared to 6,967 for Clinton. An even more striking result can be found in Sumter County, where Obama pulled in 10,765 votes compared to Clinton's 2,870.

Back in 2000, Spratt came out for Dick Gephardt, a longtime colleague in the House. Spratt generally prefers to wait until the Democrats select a nominee, and then work on behalf of that candidate.

This year, as we know, it might not be so simple.