Trapped by a reporter, Florida congressman Allen Boyd (FL-02) struggled to explain his position on the 2008 presidential race.

U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd, a leader of the conservative Blue Dog caucus in Congress, said Wednesday he will vote for Sen. Barack Obama but shied away from endorsing his party's candidate for president.

Boyd said he can't support Sen. John McCain because he considers his GOP platform a continuation of President Bush's economic policies. Boyd, a Monticello Democrat elected to Congress in 1996, called Obama "a great candidate" with a good chance of winning nationally and carrying Florida's 27 electoral votes.

"I have never endorsed a candidate in a presidential race and I won't now," Boyd said. "I've got a race of my own and I'll stay focused on that. That's my job, to represent the interests of my folks."

Looks like he managed to contain his enthusiasm.

In other news, another Florida congressman, Tim Mahoney, attempted to avoid being tied to Obama by voicing his intention to skip the convention in Denver. A Georgia congressman, asked if Obama was better qualified for the presidency than McCain, said....

...nothing.

Since clinching the nomination last week, Obama has run into reluctance among congressional Democrats.

Rep. David Boren, the only Democratic congressman from Oklahoma, said Tuesday the Illinois senator does not have a record of bipartisan work in Congress. Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Fla., a first-term member targeted by Republicans in a GOP-leaning district, said he will remain an uncommitted superdelegate but might not attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Georgia Rep. Jim Marshall refused to say whether he considers Obama better qualified than McCain.

DNC officials started conflating statements of willingness to vote for Obama with official endorsements, and quantifying what they considered to be acceptable loss figures.

Democratic National Committeeman Jon Ausman of Tallahassee said he is not losing serious support among party leaders. Ausman said Boyd's statement that he will vote for Obama amounts to an endorsement.

"There are 28 Democratic governors, 51 U.S. Senators and 230-plus members of the House," said Ausman. "If possibly 10 of them don't officially endorse Obama, it's not a big deal."