Connecticuty Senator and former presidential candidate Chris Dodd endorsed Barack Obama today. “He is ready to be president and I am ready to support him in this campaign,” Mr. Dodd said at a news conference in Cleveland, The Associated Press reported.

Obama and Hillary Clinton face off tonight in the final debate before the Texas and Ohio primaries. The Cleveland Plain Dealer has a primer on how to watch the debate. The debate will be carried live at 8:00 CST on MSNBC and streamed live on MSNBC.com.

Rumors swirled yesterday about whether Clinton’s campaign was responsible for disseminating a photograph of Obama in Kenya dressed in traditional African garments. Matt Drudge of the Drudge Report obtained a copy of an e-mail allegedly sent by a Clinton staffer that said “”Wouldn’t we be seeing this [photo] on the cover of every magazine if it were [Clinton]?”

I think we can all agree that no matter who sent the e-mail, the intent was to confuse voters into thinking Obama is a Muslim (he’s not). From that, whisperers on the internet intend to link Obama, whose name Jon Stewart aptly reminded the world on Sunday night at the Oscars, rhymes with Osama, as in bin Laden. To unsophisticated voters in Texas and Ohio (whomever sent the e-mail must believe there are plenty), this would be enough for them not to vote for him.

It’s an easy position for the Clinton to defend, if you think about it. Let’s just play out a hypothetical: a Clinton staffer leaks the photo. Drudge (and then everyone) runs it. Obama declares that Clinton is engaging in smear tactics. Clinton denies involvement and when pressed, Clinton campaign chief Maggie Williams says Obama should be ashamed for suggesting that a photo of someone wearing traditional African clothing is a smear.  All the while, the campaign gets the benefit among people who are willing to penalize Obama because they see him dressed in what they might believe are “Muslim clothes.”  Couple that with Williams suggestion that Obama’s slighting “African garments” and you now have the attention of African Americans.

Is this to far-fetched to believe? Sure it is. But for a campaign on the ropes? Debra Saunders of the San Francisco Chronicle writes, “I have to figure that Clintonia is rolling the dice. Her campaign is flailing. Being nice didn’t bump Clinton’s numbers. Along comes a photo that is just a photo of Obama visiting Africa and dressing like the locals, as both tourists and politicians are wont to do. And also a reminder that Obama might seem too exotic to some voters. It’s the wordless way of whispering: Is America ready for a black president?”