It wasn't perceived, it was an unapologetic endorsement. It was incredibly courageous for the Mayor of liberal and statist St. Paul to put his neck on the line, and he paid for it. It's St. Paul's loss they preferred a Saddam-apologist Kerry Socialist hack to the moderate non-Kool-aid drinking Democrat Kelly.
Yep, and Bush has already been out once for Kennedy. Don't think that the Dems won't be quick to point that out.