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*Sen. Hillary Clinton officially stepped to the side of the presidential campaign Saturday and gave her official endorsement to Sen. Barack Obama, the party's presumptive presidential nominee.
"I endorse him and throw my full support behind him," said the former first lady of her one-time rival during a speech in front of enthusiastic supporters at the National Building Museum in Washington.
Clinton called for unity that emphasized the cultural and political milestones that she and Obama, the first African American to secure a presidential nomination, represent.
"Children today will grow up taking for granted that an African-American or a woman can, yes, become the president of the United States," she said.
Attempting to heal the rift in the party — one that separated Democrats in part by class, by gender and by race, Clinton said: "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."
"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 of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me," the New York senator said in her 28-minute address. Loud boos were heard amidst the cheers and applause from the crowd.
Obama, according to his aides, watched Clinton's speech live on the Internet from his home base in Chicago, where he spent the weekend. He released a statement saying he was "thrilled and honored" to have Clinton's support.
"I honor her today for the valiant and historic campaign she has run," he said. "She shattered barriers on behalf of my daughters and women everywhere, who now know that there are no limits to their dreams. And she inspired millions with her strength, courage and unyielding commitment to the cause of working Americans."
Obama's campaign immediately posted a photo of Sen. Clinton on its Web site and urged supporters to send her a message of thanks. Likewise, Clinton's Web site thanked her backers.
"Support Senator Obama today," her Web page said. "Sign up now and together we can write the next chapter in America's story."
Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee jumped into the headlines Friday with the launch of a "Clinton vs. Obama" page that lists her many criticisms of the Illinois senator's campaign. President Bush, however, praised the symbolism of the 2008 field.
"I thought it was a really good statement, powerful moment when a major political party nominates an African-American man to be their standard bearer," he said in an interview Friday with an Italian journalist. "And it's good for our democracy that that happened. And we also had a major contender being a woman. Obviously Hillary Clinton was a major contender. So I think it's a good sign for American democracy."
Immediately upon completion of Clinton's speech, some of her nearly 300 superdelegates released statements announcing they now back Obama. The switchers included Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Maine Gov. John Baldacci.
Watch Hillary's speech here:
Obama Wins: Montage of Newspaper Front Pages Across All 50 States
(International montage begins at 7:24)
-------- ABFF 2008 --------
The 12th annual American Black Film Festival
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For information visit www.abff.com