Clintons back Obama

2008-06-25 07:28

Washington - Former president Bill Clinton gave terse backing to Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama on Tuesday, as his wife returned to politics for the first time since her agonising primary defeat.

Timed to coincide with Senator Hillary Clinton's reappearance in Congress, Bill Clinton issued a one-sentence statement through his spokesperson to put a lid on months of fireworks on the party's nominating campaign trail.

"President Clinton is obviously committed to doing whatever he can and is asked to do to ensure Senator Obama is the next president of the United States," spokesperson Matt McKenna said.

Hillary Clinton said the Democrats must unite after her bruising primary fight with Obama, to maximise their chances of success against Republican John McCain in November's presidential election.

But Bill Clinton chose not to declare his allegiance to Obama in public. And he is not scheduled to speak at the first joint campaign rally between his wife and the nominee on Friday, in the aptly named New Hampshire town of Unity.

After greeting dozens of staff and well-wishers gathered on the Senate steps, Hillary Clinton told reporters that Friday would "be a symbolic event that I hope will rally the Democratic Party behind our nominee".

Running mate 'Obama's decision'

Asked about running as Obama's vice-presidential nominee, the New York senator said: "You know, it is not something that I think about. This is totally Senator Obama's decision and that's the way it should be."

And Clinton, nearly three weeks after conceding to Obama and pledging an all-out joint effort against McCain, warned disaffected supporters who might be considering a protest vote for the Republican to reconsider.

"If you care about the issues I care about and the future that I outlined during my campaign, then you really have to stay with us in the Democratic Party and vote for Senator Obama to be our next president," she said.

When the primaries were in full spate, up to one-third of Clinton supporters had said they would rather vote for McCain than Obama. But her message has already filtered through to those voters in recent poll findings.

A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg survey on Tuesday gave Obama a yawning 12-point lead in a head-to-head contest with McCain - 49% to 37%.

The great majority of Clinton voters have transferred their allegiance to Obama, the poll suggested, with only 11% of the former first lady's backers planning to defect to McCain.

- AFP