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A late Christmas gift has arrived for Sen. Barack Obama.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich doesn't have an official campaign office in Iowa, and his only events in the state have been multi-candidate forums. What he does have is a small but loyal following amounting to 1 percent of likely Democratic caucus goers, according to this week's Des Moines Register poll.

In a statement released today, Kucinich said if he doesn't happen to clear the 15 percent threshold for viability in individual precincts on Thursday, he would "strongly encourage" his supporters to pick Obama as their second choice. "This is obviously an 'Iowa-only' recommendation, as Sen. Obama and I are competing in the New Hampshire primary next Tuesday," Kucinich pointed out. But he added, "Sen. Obama and I have one thing in common: change."

In 2004, Kucinich agreed to share support with former Sen. John Edwards, an arrangement that political observers believe may have contributed to the former North Carolina senator's strong second-place finish.This year, his natural ally is Obama, the only other Democrat in the race who opposed the Iraq war before it started.
"I have a lot of respect for Congressman Kucinich and I'm honored that he has done this," the senator said in a gushing thank-you note released by his campaign this afternoon.