"Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has unwittingly joined the five-man Democratic race for the U.S. Senate in Georgia.

DeKalb CEO and U.S. Senate candidate Vernon Jones has mailed "thousands" of flyers across the state bearing an image of himself and Obama holding microphones in front of a campaign crowd with the headline: "Yes We Can!" (Details here).

At first glance, it appears the two men are at the same campaign event. But they are not. The photo of Jones was digitally joined with one of Obama.

Jones acknowledged that his campaign combined the photos, but said he wasn't trying to mislead anyone. His Democratic opponents immediately accused him of implying he has been endorsed by Obama, an idea quickly shot down by Obama's campaign.

"The Obama campaign was not involved with the use the Senator Obama's picture in this mailer, and despite what this mailer inaccurately suggests, Senator Obama will not endorse a candidate in the U.S. Senate primary in Georgia," said Amy Brundage, a Chicago-based Obama spokeswoman. She declined further comment.

Jones said the campaign ad was not meant to imply an endorsement by Obama.

"Absolutely not," Jones said in a telephone interview Thursday afternoon. "What it does say is that Obama and I share a vision for a new America." He added: "Obama and I represent the future of Georgia and America. We want to balance the budget, create jobs, provide affordable and accessible health care and prevent folks from losing their homes.""

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You know he's risen from the ranks when they start trying to ride his shirt-tails! :D


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