WASHINGTON — Sen. Robert C. Byrd, a former member of the Ku Klux Klan and a one-time opponent of civil rights legislation, endorsed Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination on Monday.

Obama is vying to be the nation's first black president.

AP file photo (ENLARGE)

Byrd said Obama has the qualities to end the Iraq war, which he has strongly opposed.

ELECTION 2008 The Road to the White House • Georgia Voter Guide • Guide to 2008 election • Tell us: What do you think of Biden being on Obama ticket? • Photos: Obama, Biden campaign together • Photos: Biden career Latest Headlines: McCain scrappy, Obama calm as race nears end  Jesse Jackson dodges Obama questions  In McCain, Obama, 2 approaches to Wall St.  A debate night of discipline and muted contrasts  Rescue plan seeks $700B to buy bad mortgages  Tennessee legislator's son at center of Palin hacking speculation  Investigator: Palin probe to end before election  • Georgia politics page • Presidential campaign • Conventions coverage

Byrd's support comes almost a week after the Illinois senator's 41-point loss to Hillary Rodham Clinton in the longtime lawmaker's home state of West Virginia.

Byrd said he had no intention of getting involved while his state was in the midst of a primary. "But the stakes this November could not be higher," he said in a written statement.

Byrd said Obama has the qualities to end the Iraq war, which he has strongly opposed.

"I believe that Barack Obama is a shining young statesman, who possesses the personal temperament and courage necessary to extricate our country from this costly misadventure in Iraq, and to lead our nation at this challenging time in history," Byrd said.

Byrd has repeatedly apologized for his time in the Ku Klux Klan, which he joined as a young man in the 1940s to fight communism. He also opposed integrating the military, and filibustered the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Byrd is the longest-serving senator in history. As Senate president pro tempore, he is in line for the presidency after the vice president and House speaker.