From the Washington Post:
Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards gave his long-sought endorsement to Sen. Barack Obama on Wednesday night, calling on Democrats to unite behind him and turn their attention to the fall campaign. "The reason I am here tonight," Edwards declared, "is the voters have made their choice, and so have I." ... "When this nomination battle is over, and it will be over soon, brothers and sisters," he said, "we must come together as Democrats and in the fall stand up for what matters in America and make America what it needs to be." ... Clinton, who has vowed to continue her fight through the final June 3 primaries, in Montana and South Dakota, struck a more conciliatory tone during a round of interviews following her victory in West Virginia. Those who voted for either her or Obama, she said, have far more in common with the other Democrat than they do with McCain. "I'm going to work my heart out for whoever our nominee is," Clinton told CNN. "Obviously, I'm still hoping to be that nominee, but I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that anyone who supported me . . . understands what a grave error it would be not to vote for Senator Obama." ... Obama picked up 4.5 more superdelegates on Wednesday. With an insurmountable lead among pledged delegates and a growing edge among the appointed delegates, Obama has made Clinton's path to the nomination nearly invisible. ... Edwards is the third of Obama's former rivals to endorse him, following Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.) and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who said his loyalty to the Clintons was trumped by his belief in Obama.
From the New York Times:
"There is one man who knows in his heart that it is time to create one America — not two — and that man is Barack Obama," Mr. Edwards said at an event that resembled the closing night of a party convention, with the two men standing arm in arm and waving as the crowd chanted "Yes we can!" Mr. Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina who dropped his bid for the nomination in January, said Mr. Obama represented hope and reconciliation to a nation buffeted by war and economic distress. .... Mr. Edwards spent several minutes praising Mrs. Clinton ... He called her a capable senator and a stalwart campaigner who deserved respect for tenacity and service. "We are a stronger party because Hillary Clinton is a Democrat, we are a stronger country because of her years of public service, and we're going to have a stronger presidential nominee in the fall because of her work." His endorsement went on to be as much about Mr. Obama as it was a populist cry for universal health care, ending poverty, better schools and an end to the war in Iraq. But the drama and excitement of the moment was reserved for Mr. Obama, with Mr. Edwards's endorsement meant to send a sharp and clear signal that the long race is nearly over.
From the Wall Street Journal:
Sen. Obama focused on the general-election campaign against Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the likely Republican nominee. At the Grand Rapids rally Sen. Obama said Sen. McCain would offer "eight more years of the same" failed policies of the Bush administration. "John Edwards and I believe in a different America. Hillary Clinton believes in a different America where we rise and fall as one people," Sen. Obama said to cheers of "Yes we can!" from the crowd. ... On Wednesday, Sen. Obama toured the Chrysler Sterling Stamping plant in Sterling Heights, Mich. -- another key general-election state -- and held an economic roundtable in Warren, Mich., before heading here. Ever since Mr. Edwards withdrew from his presidential bid in late January, speculation about which Democratic candidate he would endorse has abounded. Both had heavily wooed Mr. Edwards. Obama campaign officials said Sen. Obama had called Mr. Edwards at his North Carolina home on Tuesday and he agreed to make an endorsement at the Michigan event. Speaking to reporters on his campaign plane after the rally, Sen. Obama said he has been talking regularly to both Mr. Edwards and Mr. Gore for policy advice and support, adding that Mr. Edwards will play an active role in his campaign.
From the Detroit News:
Sen. Barack Obama's first visit to Michigan in nearly a year included a high-profile endorsement from John Edwards and a pledge to fight for a rebound in Michigan's battered auto industry. "We are taking steps in the right direction, and American automakers are on the move," Obama told a friendly crowd in Warren, where he unveiled a manufacturing agenda that includes billions of dollars in potential aid for the Detroit car companies. Later, at a packed Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Obama vowed to make up for his long absence from the state. "We didn't have a chance to campaign here during the primary. I felt bad about it," said Obama, who removed his name from Michigan's ballot in the dispute over the January primary and hasn't appeared here since July. "I felt guilty. As a consequence, I decided to give you something special." Edwards -- a favorite of organized labor -- then strolled onto the stage to thundering cheers and an embrace from the Illinois senator. ... The day's events were Michigan's first real experience with the wild enthusiasm and rock concert-style mass rallies that have marked Obama's rise from underdog to likely Democratic nominee. "Talking to him was one of the most amazing things. You have to believe everything he says," said Michael Dear, 20, of Clinton Township, who asked Obama about health care during the economic forum. But it was in Grand Rapids' Van Andel Arena that the excitement hit fever pitch. Edwards' endorsement had been sought by Obama and Clinton ever since he left the race in February. "Many of us black folks have a high regard for Sen. Edwards," said Don Williams, 71, a retired dean from Grand Valley State University. ... Dave Blakeslee, 46, a social worker from Wyoming, was "thrilled" the Edwards endorsement happened in Grand Rapids. "We've been starved for political attention here the last several months, especially since our primary didn't count," he said. Grand Rapids police estimated that 15,000 gathered at the hockey arena, which has an official seating capacity of just under 11,000.
Comments are closed for this post.
Original info by Michelle B, which I now put with LINKS that OPEN IN A NEW WINDOW (simply CLOSE NEW WINDOW when done)
