Barack Hussein Obama

Hillary Clinton, the woman who once seemed a shoo-in to receive the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, now stands firmly behind fellow Democrat Barack Obama in his bid for the presidency, and urges her supports to join her in helping Obama win the White House.

Speaking before a crowd at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., Hillary Clinton pressed for unity among Democrats in order to achieve a greater goal.


"The way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand, is to take our energy, our passion, our strength and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama the next president of the United States," she said.

While Clinton's run for the presidency was historic both for the nation and for women, she also acknowledges the historic significance of Barack Obama becoming the first African-American to be the presidential nominee of a major party.

Calling this race a "turning-point election," she said, "When we first started, people everywhere asked the same questions: Could a woman really serve as commander-in-chief? Well, I think we answered that one. And, could an African-American really be our president? Sen. Obama has answered that one. Together, Sen. Obama and I achieved milestones essential to our progress as a nation, part of our perpetual duty to form a more perfect union."

Clinton, a life-long Democrat, likens the Democratic Party to a family, saying, "it's now time to restore the ties that bind us together and to come together around the ideals we share, the values we cherish and the country we love."

In the spirit of unity and goodwill, Clinton's campaign Web site now says: "Support Senator Obama today." In a show of solidarity, Obama's Web site urges his supporters to e-mail their thanks to Hillary Clinton. In fact, Obama has publicly declared that he is "thrilled and honored to have Senator Clinton's support."

"Our party and our country are stronger because of the work she has done throughout her life," he continued, "and I'm a better candidate for having had the privilege of competing with her in this campaign. … No one knows better than Senator Clinton how desperately America and the American people need change, and I know she will continue to be in the forefront of that battle this fall and for years to come."