This is huge news for Obama and very bad news for McSame:
Former Rep. Jim Leach of Iowa was among Republicans the Obama campaign said were crossing party lines to support Obama. The Illinois senator's campaign said he was also being backed by the Republican mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska, Jim Whitaker. The campaign did not release the names of other GOP supporters or the size of the group.
"I'm convinced that the national interest demands a new approach to our interaction with the world," Leach, a foreign service officer before being elected to Congress, said in a conference call with reporters.
Leach predicted that many Republicans and independents would be attracted by Obama's campaign but said his decision to endorse a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time wasn't easy.
Let the landslide begin. And Leach is no light weight when it comes to the Republican party.