The move came a week after the civil rights leader drew a primary opponent, 30 year old Rev. Markel Hutchins, an up and coming black leader in his own right in the Atlanta area.

Hutchins says the back and forth between Lewis the Clinton supporter and Lewis the Obama supporter showed that the 68 year old Congress was out of touch.

Lewis set off a furor a few weeks ago by telling the New York Times that he was going to switch. But then he basically disappeared from public view, while his office denied that any change had taken place.

Even after doing a series of media interviews on Thursday where he announced his change of heart, Lewis refused comment in the hallways of the Capitol, telling reporters that he had nothing to say, even though he had already said it on camera and on the record.

A top aide pleaded for understanding in the basement of the Capitol, saying the pressure on his boss had been "enormous."

Later in the day, Lewis put out a written statement explaining his change, as the Atlanta Congressman said Obama's campaign had started "the beginning of a new movement in American political history."

Obama welcomed the move in his own statement: "John Lewis is an American hero and a giant of the civil rights movement, and I am deeply honored to have his support."

Lewis changed his mind after Obama easily won Georgia on February 5th, especially after vote totals in his majority-minority district were overwhelmingly for Obama.

As I have observed before from the campaign trail, this is the kind of pressure that a number of black elected officials are likely to feel this year after they backed Hillary Clinton instead of Barack Obama.

I bet there are young, successful black men and women interested in politics who are looking at people like Rep. Lewis and thinking to themselves that change should start right there.

Lewis was one of two super delegates in the Congress that went over to Obama on Wednesday, the other being Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND.) Expect that slow drip, drip, drip to become a giant rush to Obama if he wins in Ohio and Texas next week.