MoveOn.org, with has 1.7 million members in Super Tuesday states, endorsed Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination today. It's the first time the organization has endorsed presidential primary candidate. After a poll showed that 70 percent of MoveOn's members favored Barack Obama, it was decided that the organization would officially endorse a candidate.

“Our members’ endorsement of Senator Obama is a clear call for a new America at this critical moment in history,” said Eli Pariser, executive director of MoveOn. He added, “The enormity of the challenges require someone who knows how to inspire millions to get involved to change the direction of our country, and someone who will be willing to change business as usual in Washington…”

So what does this endorsement mean? It is, of course, hardly the type of seal of approval that would rival Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s support for Mr. Obama. But it suggests that many liberals are galvanizing behind Mr. Obama’s candidacy. Mrs. Clinton has never been a favorite of MoveOn and was particularly criticized for her Iraq war stance, yet she still won 30 percent of the vote.

The Republican National Committee was quit to respond, using the occasion to criticize Barack Obama for leaning too far to the left and Hillary Clinton for not securing MoveOn's endorsement.

“It’s no surprise MoveOn.org would endorse the newly crowned ‘most liberal’ member of the Senate. Obama may claim to unite the country, but he’s only uniting the extreme-left wing of the Democratic Party,” said Alex Conant, a spokesman for the Republican committee. He added, “Considering how MoveOn.org was originally founded to defend the Clintons, this must be a blow to Senator Clinton. Coming after the Kennedy and Kerry endorsements, today’s news begs the question: Why are those most familiar with Clinton’s record rejecting her?”