Senator Hillary Clinton has urged millions of voters who supported her in
the primaries to back presidential candidate Barack Obama. In a speech at the
Democratic National Convention, Clinton called for party unity and said her
one-time rival must be elected president. VOA Correspondent Meredith Buel has
details from the convention site in Denver, Colorado.
Clinton
received an enthusiastic standing ovation at the convention, where not long ago
it was widely expected that she would be anointed as the Democratic Party's
choice for president.
But in a marathon and sometimes hostile primary
campaign she lost to Barack Obama.
Clinton told her supporters they must
now back Obama because the party does not have a moment to lose or a vote to
spare.
"Whether you voted for me, or you voted for Barack, the time is now to unite
as a single party with a single purpose," she said. "We are on the same team and
none of us can afford to sit on the sidelines."
Clinton's ability to
deliver her supporters, many of whom are still angry over the fierce battle for
the nomination, could spell the difference between victory and defeat for
Obama.
Polls show that a significant percentage of Clinton supporters say
they intend to vote for Republican candidate John McCain in the November general
election.
A straightforward endorsement of Obama by Clinton was
considered critical to his campaign, and she delivered that Tuesday night,
saying "Barack Obama is my candidate and he must be our
president."
Clinton criticized McCain, saying his election would lead to
more war and less diplomacy.
"We know that President Obama will end the war in Iraq responsibly, bring our
troops home and begin to repair our alliances around the world," she
said.
Former Virginia Governor Mark Warner gave the keynote address to
the convention Tuesday night, saying McCain will follow the same economic and
foreign policies as the Bush administration.
"This race is all about the
future," he said. "That is why we must elect Barack Obama as our next president.
Because the race for the future will be won when old partisanship gives way to
new ideas. When we put solutions over stalemate and when hope replaces fear."
Wednesday's speeches at the convention will focus on national security
and foreign policy.
They will showcase Obama's pick for vice president,
Delaware Senator Joe Biden.
Obama is scheduled to address the convention
on Thursday, when he accepts the Democratic Party's nomination.