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Bill Clinton backs Obama at convention, draws comparison with own campaign
By Haaretz Service and Reuters
Tags: Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton 

Former United States president Bill Clinton repeated his wife Hillary's ringing endorsement of Democrat Barack Obama's presidential aspirations during a speech at the party's National Convention in Denver on Wednesday.

"My fellow Democrats, I say to you: Barack Obama is ready to lead America and to restore American leadership in the world," former President Clinton told flag-waving delegates who interrupted him repeatedly with roars of approval.

Clinton noted that when he first ran for president in 1992, Republicans then, as now, claimed the Democratic candidate was too young and inexperienced to serve as president.
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During the speech, Clinton called on all those who had supported Hillary Clinton in the primary to vote for Obama in the November 4 presidential election.

Clinton made reference to the prolonged battle between his wife and Obama, saying: "The primary came down to two remarkable Americans locked in a hard-fought contest to the very end...In the end my candidate didn't win. But I was really proud of the campaign she ran."

The former president also had some kind words for Obama's opponent in the presidential election, Republican John McCain, calling him "a good man who has served our country heroically".

He praised McCain for showing independency of right-wing orthodoxy on many issues, but criticized him for still adhering to Republican policies on key issues, such as the use of American forces overseas.

Clinton also praised Obama's selection of Senator Joe Biden as his vice presidential nominee, saying "he hit it out of the park" with his decision.

More so than his wife, Clinton had trouble reconciling with Obama after a primary feud in which Obama, who would be America's first black president, accused Clinton of injecting racial politics into the campaign.

Earlier Wednesday, in an emotional moment of unity, Obama's one-time opponent, Sen. Hillary Clinton, strode onto the floor of the party's national convention during a roll call of the states and formally asked Democratic delegates to suspend their count and approve his nomination by acclamation.

"With eyes firmly fixed on the future, in the spirit of unity, with the goal of victory, with faith in our party and our country, let's declare together in one voice right here, right now, that Barack Obama is our candidate and he will be our president," she said to roars of approval inside the packed convention hall.

In her speech to the convention on Tuesday night, Hillary Clinton said she seeks party unity to defeat the Republicans after eight years of President George W. Bush.

Obama, who is the first African-American major party presidential nominee, will give his acceptance speech on Thursday, when he will wrest attention from the Clintons, who have been a huge presence at the four-day convention.

Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware received his nomination for vice president on Wednesday night, accepting it in the biggest speech in a political career that has spanned more than three decades.

"It's going to be wonderful," a smiling Biden, 65, who twice unsuccessfully ran for the White House, told reporters.

Biden is expected to play the role of "attack dog" against Republican candidate John McCain, who has moved slightly ahead in the polls following weeks of Republican pounding of Obama.

Some Democrats have also ripped into Obama for picking as his running mate Biden rather than Clinton.

Republicans, who have set up an outpost in Denver, have been trying to exploit any signs of Democratic division. While conceding that Hillary Clinton had made a strong speech on Tuesday night, they reiterated the main thrust of their attack on Obama: that the one-term senator is unprepared to be president.

"It seems to be a very technical speech about being a Democrat, supporting (Obama) as a Democrat, but she never answered the big question (on whether he was ready)," Republican former New York City mayor and unsuccessful presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani told CNN.

Democrats are accusing McCain of being out of touch with everyday American economic concerns at a time of economic malaise in the world's largest economy, noting that he and his wealthy wife, Cindy McCain, own seven homes.

After running behind Obama in public opinion polls for months, McCain expressed surprise that he had pulled ahead of the Democrat in a Gallup daily tracking poll that had him leading 46 percent to 44 percent.


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