Reply #81: I agree. And I think that was the subtext in Grand Rapids [View All]

[highplainsdem]

of John Edwards' praise of Clinton, and what Obama said about the three of them.

From Edwards:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/14/us/politics/14text-edwards.html

And now we're here down to two amazing candidates. And before I get too far, I want to take just a minute and say a word about my friend and your friend, Senator Hillary Clinton.

In the past few weeks, I've got -- past few months and past few weeks -- I've gotten to know Senator Clinton very well. We've talked. We've met in North Carolina. We've talked about the things that she cares about, that every single one of you care about: about the men and women in this country who don't have health care; about the children who don't have health care; about the men and women in America who just want to have a decent job and go to work. We've talked about our own children, our own families.

And what I've learned during that time, and I've gotten to know her very well, is that she believes with every fiber of our being that America can be a better place, and that we need change to make America what it's capable of being. And I want to tell you -- and I know this is hard to understand sometimes -- but it is very, very hard to get up everyday and do what she's done. It is hard to go out there and fight and speak up when the odds turn against you.

And what she has shown, what she has shown, is strength and character. And what drives her is something that every single one of us can and should appreciate. She cares deeply about the working people in this country. She cares about the families who are losing everything because somebody got sick. She cares about our men and women who are putting their lives on the line in Iraq and Afghanistan. This tenacity has shown her strength and her determination. She is a woman who, in my judgment, is made of steel. And she's a leader in this country, not because of her husband, but because of what she has done -- because of speaking out, because of standing up.

And we, when this nomination battle is over -- and it will be over soon -- brothers and sisters, we must come together as Democrats and, in the fall, stand up for what matters for the future of America and make America what it needs to be. And we are a stronger party, because Hillary Clinton is a Democrat. We are a stronger country because of her years of public service. And we're going to have a stronger presidential nominee in the fall because of her work.

And from Obama, as he accept Edwards' endorsement:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/14/AR2008051403533.html

For too long, Washington has ignored their struggles. Their voices have fallen on deaf ears. For the last eight years, they have been told -- you've been told -- that there's nothing this country can do to help you, that the best we can do is keep giving more and more of those with the most and tell everyone else to fend for themselves. That's what George Bush has one for the last eight years. And that's what John McCain is offering for the next four.

Well, John Edwards and I believe in a different America. Hillary Clinton believes in a different America. The Democratic Party believes in a different America -- one America, where we rise and fall together as one people. And that's why we are going to take Washington by storm this November.

-snip-

That hope is stirring all across America. And if you're willing to set down the cynicism and put down the fear and join John Edward and Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and the Democrats, then I promise you, we will not just win this election. We will change the country, and we will change the world. God bless you, Grand Rapids. God bless America.