North Carolina and Mississippi Republicans have already attacked local candidates endorsing Barack Obama. Now comes evidence from a Democrat that Obama may be on his way to being an albatross around the Democrats' necks. Joseph Gerth of the Louisville Courier-Journal reports:

U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler yesterday endorsed Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois for president, giving him a needed boost as the race for the Democratic nomination nears an end.

Chandler's endorsement comes just days before Tuesday's Indiana primary and as Obama's opponent, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, appears to be gaining momentum. [....]

But the endorsement of Obama, an African American, was met with some resistance in Chandler's largely rural Central Kentucky district.

Denis Fleming, Chandler's chief of staff, said that the congressman's offices in Lexington and Washington had received about 300 phone calls opposing his decision -- and only five in favor -- by about 2:30 p.m. yesterday.

Some of the calls, he said, were "racially insensitive," while other callers simply said that Chandler should have waited until after Kentucky's May 20 primary or should have endorsed Clinton.

"He (Chandler) certainly took note of (the calls), but he felt like it was the right thing to do," Fleming said. "He's pleased with his decision, and he thinks Senator Obama is the right person to lead."