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Clinton suspends bid, endorses Obama

Supporters resist switch to party's front-runner

By Joseph Curl (Contact) | Sunday, June 8, 2008

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Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday suspended her presidential campaign and vowed to "work my heart out" to help Sen. Barack Obama win the White House, but while thousands of her supporters cheered, hundreds also booed, loudly.

After a divisive, five-month battle for the Democratic nomination, in which the former first lady cast her opponent as a political neophyte woefully lacking the skills and experience needed to handle the world's most demanding job, many of her supporters were not yet ready to let bygones be bygones.

Even though the vanquished candidate warned them to move on because "life's too short," many made clear with their boos that they will need some healing time before they can support Mr. Obama.

"Today, as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run. I endorse him and throw my full support behind him, and I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me," she said, drawing the loudest boos of the 28-minute speech, although the cheers were even louder.

"Today I am standing with Senator Obama to say: Yes, we can!" she said, using her former opponent's campaign catch phrase.

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Clinton bows out

Presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) announces the suspension of her campaign and her intention to back Barack Obama during a speech in Washington D.C., Saturday, June 7, 2008. Photos by Allison Shelley

But a smattering of loud boos echoed through the cavernous National Building Museum in the District each of the 15 times she mentioned her opponent by name, although by the end of her concession speech, the cheers won the day. And only one of a dozen Clinton supporters interviewed before the speech said he planned to withhold his support from the presumptive nominee, for now.

Just five days ago, when Mr. Obama secured the 2,118 delegates needed to clinch the nomination, Mrs. Clinton defiantly told her supporters that she remained the best candidate for the presidency, would stay in the race and that the 18 million people who voted for her should "be respected."

But over the last few days, Democratic leaders pressured the one-time front-runner to concede defeat and throw her support behind Mr. Obama, who has just 150 days before Election Day to reunify his party in hopes of defeating Republican Sen. John McCain.

While Mrs. Clinton spoke of the historic nature of her run and how her candidacy had put "about 18 million cracks [in] that highest, hardest glass ceiling," she returned again and again to the task ahead.

"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. "We cannot let this moment slip away. We have come too far and accomplished too much."