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TOM HANKS WANTS OBAMA IN THE WHITE HOUSE: Actor makes video endorsing Illinois senator for president.

(May 6, 2008)

*Tom Hanks used his MySpace page to post a video of himself endorsing Sen. Barack Obama's quest for the nation's highest office. [Scroll down to view clip.]

"As an official celebrity, I know my endorsement has just made your mind up for you," the 51-year-old actor says in a short video titled, "Beware: Celebrity Endorsement."

"History with a capital 'H' is going to be made this November, no matter who the president-elect is," he says. "I want Barack Obama to be president of this country, a country that once said people with his skin color were only three-fifths of a human being."

Explaining his decision, the two-time Oscar winner says: "It's because of his character and vision, and the high road he has taken during this campaign. He has the integrity and the inspiration to unify us, as did FDR and Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy and even Ronald Reagan when they ran for the job."

The actor says Obama and Clinton have each "pretended to eat cheese-steak sandwiches and go bowling," "committed gaffes" and distanced themselves from supporters who could damage their campaigns.

But Hanks thinks an Obama presidency could bring about a "seismic shift," and "live up to the great promise once shaped by our founding fathers."

Tom Hanks Endorses Barack Obama