28 August 2008

Former President Helps Democratic Party Unite Behind Obama

Bill Clinton offers endorsement, pledges support for Democratic nominee

Former President Bill Clinton gestures to the crowd at the Democratic National Convention in Denver August 27.

Washington -- In the United States, political parties have long histories of raucous infighting, passionate arguments, bitter disagreements and, eventually, a coming together with renewed energy and sense of purpose.

On the evening of August 27, former President Bill Clinton did his part to heal the divides in the Democratic Party left by a hard-fought primary season that saw a wide field of candidates narrow through the months to only two -- Illinois Senator Barack Obama and New York Senator Hillary Clinton, wife of the former president.

During the contest for the nomination, Bill Clinton was a key surrogate for his wife’s campaign, and leveled some of the sharpest criticism against her rival, Obama. Yet at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, the former president pledged his support for Obama and promised to make every effort to ensure the Illinois senator becomes the next president of the United States.

"Hillary told us in no uncertain terms that she'll do everything she can to elect Barack Obama. That makes two of us," he said, "Actually, that makes 18 million of us, because like Hillary I want all of you who supported her to vote for Barack Obama in November.”

With a reference to his own history, Clinton tried to lay to rest concerns he and his wife had raised during the primary campaign about Obama’s qualifications for office.

"We prevailed in a campaign in which the Republicans said I was too young and too inexperienced to be commander in chief,” he said. "Sound familiar? It didn't work in 1992, because we were on the right side of history. And it won't work in 2008, because Barack Obama is on the right side of history."

Clinton also contrasted a potential Obama presidency with an administration headed by John McCain, the presumed Republican nominee.

“The Republicans will nominate a good man who served our country heroically and suffered terribly in Vietnam. He loves our country every bit as much as we all do,” Clinton said, but added that he believes a McCain presidency would continue many policies of the Bush administration, policies the Democratic leadership regard as failed.

“Most important, Barack Obama knows that America cannot be strong abroad unless we are strong at home. People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power.”

For additional information about the third night of the Democratic National Convention, see “Democrats Formally Nominate Barack Obama for U.S. Presidency.”

A transcript of Clinton's speech is available on the Democratic National Convention Web site.