Hillary Clinton to suspend her Presidential campaign

I think everyone knew this was coming, but it was still a bit of a surprise to actually hear.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has decided to end her historic bid to become the first female president while leaving her options open to retain her delegates and promote her issues, including a signature call for universal health care.

Hours after Sen. Barack Obama sealed the nomination, Democrats coalesced around his candidacy, sending a strong signal to Clinton that it was time to bow out.

The former first lady told House Democrats during a private conference call Wednesday that she will express support for Obama's candidacy and congratulate him for gathering the necessary delegates to be the party's nominee.

"Senator Clinton will be hosting an event in Washington, D.C., to thank her supporters and express her support for Senator Obama and party unity. This event will be held on Saturday to accommodate more of Senator Clinton's supporters who want to attend," her communications director Howard Wolfson said.

Also in the speech, Clinton will urge once-warring Democrats to focus on the general election and defeating Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain.

I voted for Barack Obama in March, and have considered myself a supporter of his since February, but I thought long and hard about supporting Hillary Clinton. She was very strong on many issues, she clearly inspired millions of people, she fought valiantly, often against a frequently disgusting wave of sexism and misogyny, and whatever I may have thought about some aspects of her campaign or some of its less-admirable advisers, I never doubted that Hillary Clinton would have made an outstanding President, one that I would have been proud to vote for in November. She made history, and the fact that she has fallen short of her goal does not diminish what she has accomplished in doing so. She deserves our thanks, and so I say "Thank you, Hillary Clinton, for your service, your ideas, and your dedication." May there be many more like Hillary Clinton in the future.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on June 05, 2008 to The making of the President