Clinton To End Campaign, Back Obama

Tells Supporters That Party Must Unite Behind Obama; "Stakes Are Too High" To Do Otherwise

(CBS/AP)  Hillary Rodham Clinton has decided to officially end her historic presidential campaign.

In a letter to supporters sent early Thursday morning, Clinton said she would host an event in Washington, DC, on Saturday to thank her backers and express her support for Barack Obama and Democratic Party unity.

"I have said throughout the campaign that I would strongly support Senator Obama if he were the Democratic Party's nominee, and I intend to deliver on that promise," Clinton said in the letter. "I will be speaking on Saturday about how together we can rally the party behind Senator Obama. The stakes are too high and the task before us too important to do otherwise."

CBS News learned earlier Wednesday that the former first lady had told House Democrats during a private conference call that she would give her support to Obama and congratulate him for gathering the necessary delegates to be the party's nominee.

Also in the speech, Clinton will urge once-warring Democrats to focus on the general election and defeating Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

"My differences with Senator Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans," she said in her letter, titled, "I Want You To Know".

One adviser said Clinton and her lieutenants had discussed various ways a presidential candidacy can end, including suspending the campaign to retain control of her convention delegates and sustain her visibility in an effort to promote her signature issue of health care.

The other options include freeing her delegates to back Obama and ending her candidacy unconditionally. The official stressed that neither Clinton nor her inner circle had decided specifically what course to take other than to recognize that the active state of her bid to become the first U.S. female president had ended.

On the telephone call with impatient House supporters, Clinton was urged to draw a close to the contentious campaign, or at least express support for Obama. Her decision to acquiesce caught many in the campaign by surprise and left the campaign scrambling to finalize the logistics and specifics behind her campaign departure.

The New York congressional delegation's Democrats wanted to campaign for Obama this weekend, New York Rep. Charles Rangel, a longtime political patron, said and weren't comfortable doing that if she hadn't formally endorsed her rival.

"The quicker we proved that we were committed to Senator Obama, then the better for all of us," Rangel said Thursday on CBS News' The Early Show.

Rangel said Obama and Clinton need each other - it would help him pick up her supporters if she were on the Democratic ticket, and she "needs to maintain momentum" as a national and international leader.

Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean and the Democratic congressional leadership released a statement earlier Wednesday urging the party to rally behind Obama, and several lawmakers including Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar and Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu all endorsed their Illinois colleague.

Obama announced Wednesday that he had named a three-person vetting team to help him choose a running mate. The team consisted of Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy, former Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder and longtime Washington insider Jim Johnson.

They have already begun compiling information on potential running mates, but have disclosed no names.

Many of Clinton's supporters are pushing for Obama to pick her as his running mate. In an interview with CBS News anchor Katie Couric, Obama said he was going to go through a "deliberate process" and did not rule out choosing Clinton.

"Sen. Clinton would be on anybody's short list, obviously," he said. (See more of the interview.)

It was an inauspicious end for a candidacy that appeared indestructible when Sen. Clinton began 17 months ago.

Armed with celebrity, a prodigious fundraising Rolodex, a battle-tested campaign team and a popular two-term former president as a husband, many observers believed Clinton's victory in the Democratic nomination contest was a sure thing.

But in Obama, the New York senator faced an opponent who appeared perfectly suited to the time - a charismatic newcomer who opposed the Iraq war from the beginning and who offered voters a compelling message of change. Clinton voted for the legislation that authorized military force against Iraq. (Read "Five Reasons Obama Won" by CBSNews.com's Vaughn Ververs.)

After a disastrous showing in the leadoff Iowa caucuses Jan. 3, Clinton won New Hampshire's primary Jan. 8, setting off the state-by-state war of attrition with Obama that followed.

Her fortunes rose and fell like a fever chart: She was up in Nevada, down in South Carolina. Then, after a roughly even finish on Super Tuesday Feb. 5, she suffered a string of unanswered losses that, almost before Clinton noticed, put Obama so far ahead in the delegate hunt that all the big-state victories she piled up couldn't close the delegate gap.

By March, her options limited, Clinton adopted the persona of a tenacious fighter for the middle class, and powered successfully through primaries in states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia and Kentucky, showing grit that earned her valuable political currency.

White men, blue-collar workers, socially conservative Democrats and older women were especially receptive to her message, and her strong showing with those voters exposed Obama's vulnerabilities among those groups.

Democrats whose No. 1 concern had been ending the Iraq war at the campaign's outset, started worrying more about the economy. That was a switch from Obama's strength to hers.

[down-ndirty]

PUMA,LOL! ... Pinheads Under Menopausal Abstraction
Posted by jesterbelle at 08:15 AM : Jun 06, 2008
__________________________

Ha Ha Ha!! I love it.
Good one, jesterbelle.

[boycot-china]

Facing criticism, Obama CHANGES his Jerusalem stance last night. How many other issues is he going to CHANGE for the election? I am still very hurt and shocked that it took so long for Senator Obama to finally quit his Church and he only did so in response to quieting the complaints. Here''''s another example of Senator Obama''''s hypocritical CHANGE stance. He complained openly about a white Imus, but was very careful not to apply the same intense scrutiny to his black pastor. What''''s the beef? Senator Obama tried to mend the racial barrier that he has created, but in reality he created more of a CHANGE and divide instead of a healing. Why is Senator Obama lying to America? He lost my vote, because he''''s trying to pull another con job just like the dirty land developer that Senator Obama still accepts money from. Yes, the same developer that was in court this week for illegal money laundering. The same guy who gave the Obama family special rates on the Obama''''s multi-million dollar home. I wonder if Senator Obama is going to CHANGE his story on that one too?

[jesterbelle]

PUMA,LOL!I wonder if the rocket scientists that thought this one up realize that puma is another name for a cougar.Fitting,since I''m certain that the majority of them are "liberated women",or what was known in the old days as wwhores.Pinheads Under Menopausal Abstraction

[omaar-101]

Note #1: You Clinton Spin Doctors are Bitter, Hatefilled & Hateful and Need to Stay Home or Vote for a Pro-life, Anti-Gay, 71-72 Yr. old Republican Moderate, that Can''t Move his Bowels, moreover Move an Audience to Vote for him...

His Speed Reading skills are the Worse and did you SEE his Geriatric, Depend Wearing, DAM Near Comatose Audience !!

Oh Yeah, Sure Obama will have Problems with this Senior Citizen...

I can''t wait to See, McCain Fumble All over his Words, or Worse, McCain Falling Asleep, during a Debate !!!



Note#2: (PA) Gov. Ed Rendell, one of Clinton''s most vocal surrogates, shot down this very idea in an interview Wednesday with NY1 News.

Rendell reminded Clinton and her supporters that the choice for Vice President belongs solely to Obama. "He has to make the choice, and it''s his choice to make," said Rendell. "You don''t bargain with the Presidential nominee. Even if you''re Hillary Clinton and you have 18 million votes, you don''''t bargain."

Last week, Rendell seemed optimistic that Clinton would get the V.P. nod. By Wednesday, the Governor had changed his tune, fearing that Clinton could overshadow Obama.

"The rule for the vice president is make sure you never upstage the president," said Rendell. "It''s rule one. You know, Hillary Clinton in some ways couldn''t help but upstage, even if she was trying not to."

[omaar-101]

Posted by down-ndirty: Funny!! Very funny!!

Hillary was her own worst enemy. As a "famous" woman of the 21st century Hillary had a chance to trounce the plebe Obama and unite the party.

But a "popular" woman she was not. She is "old" politics; the SOS politics; and she''''s more conservative than she is democrat.

Isn''''t it "ironic" that the ONLY democrat who didn''''t support the war from day one is the ONLY democrat who survived to the end of the democratic primary?

I don''''t think it''''s ironic at all. I think it''''s a reflection of the mood of the country, which is: People are tired of WAR and the same old ***** politics!!

And Hillary is "same old *****" politics. So is McSame.





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No More Bill & Hillary Clinton Baggage

No More Bush & Cheney Insanity

Out with the Old and in with the New !!!

Obama Run (R) Sen. Jim Webb or Gov. Sebelius as Your Vice President.

[sueann702]

To All Republicans on this Blog:
Your Party has done nothing for the American People.
Maybe for the wealthy, lobbiest, elites, special interest and big business.
Because of your party the American People are suffering. Your time will end in November.
Obama 08

[tiredofobama]

Men have obcessed enough about being president of the United States to have a few of them assassinated. They''''''''''''''''ve obcessed over being president since they were children. They competed in ruthless backbiting campaigns scandalizing each other, cheating on their campaign funding, makeing cigar smoking back room deals, held terrible debates yelling at each other, then kissing each other''''''''''''''''s behind when they hate each other, and all the while pissing on their constituents, just to get the almighty dollar!

Now a successful political woman wants to be president and she dubbed a psycho, back stabbing b****ch by the group of bloated old bigots who got where they are by feeding their ego''''''''s that they know what''''''''s best for this country! And look what a mell of hess we''''''''re in right now because of some bloated ego, manifest destiny spewing arrogant back room dealing smart a/s/s inexperienced CRACKHEAD just like Obama!

[down-ndirty]

All you Hillary-loving, Obama-hating, McSame-voting, one-track-minded democrats should heed these words from your heroine:

"My differences with Senator Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans," she said in her letter, titled, "I Want You To Know".

Does it need to be translated for you?

[down-ndirty]

I am glad the campaign over so that the media''''s fun in victimizing Hillary will end soon.
Posted by je100 at 04:55 PM : Jun 05, 2008
_________________________

"...victimizing Hillary?"

Funny!! Very funny!!

Hillary was her own worst enemy. As a "famous" woman of the 21st century Hillary had a chance to trounce the plebe Obama and unite the party.

But a "popular" woman she was not. She is "old" politics; the SOS politics; and she''s more conservative than she is democrat.

Isn''t it "ironic" that the ONLY democrat who didn''t support the war from day one is the ONLY democrat who survived to the end of the democratic primary?

I don''t think it''s ironic at all. I think it''s a reflection of the mood of the country, which is: People are tired of WAR and the same old ***** politics!!

And Hillary is "same old *****" politics. So is McSame.

[down-ndirty]

I am a member of the new Puma PAC, People United Means Action. ...
We will not vote for Barack Obama for president.
Puma Democrat
Posted by TruUSA at 05:12 PM : Jun 05, 2008


Fine!! Vote for McSame and you''ll get the SOS that Bush has been dealing for almost 8 years.

You''re just a sorry loser.

PUMA=Party Unity My Asss!!

[Jerrycnet]

I used to like Democrats because they are more tolerant. Observing the mean spirits of many Obama supporters and the liberal media''s bias against Hillary and Obama''s own gun clinging speech, I realize they are just as intolerant as GOP. I am glad the campaign over so that the media''s fun in victimizing Hillary will end soon.

[obamaslady]

I''m afraid to "hold my breath" waiting to hear clinton endorse Obama because I might die waiting!

For mr2258: APPARENTLY YOU HAVE "NOT HEARD" THE GREAT NEWS ANNOUNCED ON TUESDAY EVENING! OBAMA WON!!!! YEAH!!!! KEEP DREAMIN'', BUT IT AIN''T HAPPENIN'' FOR YOUR GAL! YEAH!!!!! I SIMPLY COULD NOT BE HAPPIER! WHAT A GREAT DAY FOR AMERICA!!!! YEAH!!!! YEAH!!!! YEAH!!!!

[mr2258]

Just relax.Hillary is going to be president.It will come to past.

[credibility2]

Hillary, whether you get the VP nod or not, I won''t be backing Obama, even if I''m "paid" to do so. I''ll either write your name in on the ballot, or vote for McCain. I''m also not going to vote for Durbin''s re-election. He''s major toast.

[mr2258]

Hillary hang in there.Obama will destroy himself before the convension.It was a smart move to keep your delegates. PRESIDENT HILLARY CLINTON

[jesterbelle]

Where you at,rohdkill?I thought I was going to be matching wits with some wannabe rocket scientist.Silly me.Should have known better.All of you righties are brainwashed rretards.

[jesterbelle]

God knows you aren''''t guilty of picking on anyone.


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Posted by rohink at 02:52 PM : Jun 05, 2008

Shows how much I like you folks,LOL!

[rohink-2009]

Why don''''t you take your autographed picture of the chimp,roll it up as tight as you can,and use it for a suppository.Anybody that voted for that idiot is an idiot,and has no business giving anyone advice on who to vote for.

Posted by jesterbelle

God knows you aren''t guilty of picking on anyone.

[jesterbelle]

I wouldn''''t expect you to. I could care less about your post on cures. We already know how you want to protect your children and how you would prefer to deal with "clowns"


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Posted by rohink at 02:43 PM : Jun 05, 2008

Is that the best you can do?There are other people out here like me,Ace.Keep things as they are,or better yet,make them worse,clown.

[jesterbelle]

That is what you meant instead of a .22 slug behind the ears of clowns (someone that doesn''''t agree with you)?


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Posted by rohink at 02:40 PM : Jun 05, 2008

Is your talking to me going to solve anything?Am I going to change your mind.You don''t know me,and you''ve already passed judgement on me.All you want to do is make your miserable self feel better by picking on someone that you believe to be inferior.Go for it.