Clinton rally overflows at Brush High School [View All]

[Algorem]

http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2008/02/ap_photocarolyn_kasterhillary.html


Updated at 11 p.m. Friday

http://blog.cleveland.com.nyud.net:8080/openers/2008/02/large_crowd.jpg

...Clinton's Lyndhurst rally drew diehard supporters along with a crowd star-struck at the chance to be near a celebrity and to be a part of the election process. So many people flocked to the school that traffic backed up on Mayfield Road, parking lots were gridlocked and people parked on side streets.

Lines grew so long two hours before the rally that they had to be shifted, frustrating those who lost their choice spots. After packing the gym, the crowd spilled over into the school's performing-arts center and cafeteria, where they watched on closed-circuit television.

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who has accompanied Clinton across the state this week before finally bringing her to her district, introduced Clinton as "my candidate" and the oft-repeated "next president of the United States" with a throaty roar.

Clinton, flanked by retired Gen. Wesley Clark and a cadre of Ohio politicians, peppered her speech with shots at the Bush administration, decrying reckless spending, having two oilmen run the White House and a culture of fear and fatalism...