The Trail

Reporters on the Obama plane listen to a conference call about the race. (By Linda Davidson -- The Washington Post)
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-- Paul Kane

SUPPORTS OBAMA NOW

Duberstein's Do-Over

In a surprising rebuff of an old friend, former White House chief of staff Kenneth M. Duberstein said Friday that he is abandoning his support of John McCain and instead will back Barack Obama for president.

Duberstein, who worked for President Ronald Reagan, told CNN's Fareed Zakaria that his vote was influenced by another good friend, former secretary of state Colin L. Powell. "Well, let's put it this way: I think Colin Powell's decision is in fact the Good Housekeeping seal of approval on Barack Obama," Duberstein said. Powell was national security adviser to Reagan when Duberstein was Reagan's chief of staff.

In a separate interview on MSNBC, Duberstein was highly critical of McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as vice president, saying "it has undermined the whole question of John McCain's judgment."

Campaign finance records show that Duberstein contributed $2,300 to McCain's campaign in January. He runs a lobbying firm in Washington.

-- Glenn Kessler