CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) -- Sen. John Kerry on Thursday endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, saying the senator from Illinois is a "candidate to bring change to our country." "Barack Obama isn't just going to break the mold," said Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate four years ago. "Together, we are going to shatter it into a million pieces." The senator from Massachusetts made the announcement in front of an enthusiastic crowd in Charleston, South Carolina, 16 days ahead of the state's Democratic primary. Kerry said he was stirred by the way Obama "eloquently reminded us of the fact that our true genius is faith in simple dreams and insistence on small miracles." Watch Kerry explain why he's picking Obama »
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NEW: Sen. Barack Obama will bring the country together, Sen. John Kerry says
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Kerry was the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004
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John Edwards, also running for the '08 Democratic bid, was Kerry's running mate
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Obama picked up key endorsements from unions in Nevada this week
"When we were running against each other and on the same ticket, @placeholder and I agreed on many issues," Edwards said.