Reminiscent of the fire and brimstone political speeches of the John F. Kennedy era, the brother of the late President, Sen. Edward Kennedy, reached back in time and gave a rip roaring finger pointing speech typical of his brother, combined with the gospel rythmic tones of Martin Luther King, and bestowed his family blessing on Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

Meanwhile, the New York Times is putting the pressure on their endorsed Democratic nominee, Sen. Hillary Clinton, to put the big Chill on Bill.

The Times reported today that, “Democrats inside and outside the Clinton campaign on Sunday debated and in some cases bemoaned the degree to which former President Bill Clinton’s criticism of Senator Barack Obama last week had inflicted lasting damage on his wife’s presidential candidacy.”

Both Obama and Clinton were courting the Kennedy’s.

While the political pundits say endorsements don’t really mean much, the Kennedy endorsement is an exception.

This is a big, stinging blow to the Clinton campaign, following their lobsided defeat in South Carolina.

Apparently Kennedy was turned off by Clinton campaign tactics, which the Senator believed unfairly injected race into the campaign, and relied on factual distortions to attack Obama, according to the Associated Press.

“I’m proud to stand with him here today and offer my help, offer my voice, offer my energy, my commitment to make Barack Obama the president of the United States,” Kennedy shouted over a loud crowd of young supporters at the American University in Washington D.C.

Obama has been able to turn out large number of young crowds under his campaign theme of ‘change.’

He is also reminding young and old of the brash young John F. Kennedy, especially when he puts down all of the cards of difference within our society — black v white, gay v straight, and male v. female – and says this “is all about the past versus the future.”

Kennedy took a shot at the Clinton campaign talking points, when he said, “I know that he’s ready to be president on Day One,” and, “We know the true record of Barack Obama . . . From the beginning, he opposed the war in Iraq . . . and let no one deny that truth.”

Kennedy was joined in his endorsement of Obama by his son Patrick, who is a Rhode Island Congressman and his niece Caroline Kennedy, President Kennedy’s daughter.

Although the three make a formidable front of the nation’s most famous political family, the Kennedys are not fully united around Obama.  Another of Sen. Kennedy’s nieces, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Towsend, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, supports Clinton.

The Associated Press said a spokeswoman for Patrick Kennedy said the senator and congressman probably will campaign around the country for Obama, although no concrete plans are set yet.