Clinton and Obama Unity Campaign

Following a Thursday night meeting in DC where Sen. Clinton urged her major donors to support Sen. Obama (and where he contributed the maximum amount allowable to help pay her campaign debt), the two were off to New Hampshire for a unity rally.

In what will most likely be the first of many such events the two took to the stage to remind Democrats why we need to defeat John McSame in November.

Rivals turned allies, Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton made a display of unity Friday in a hamlet named for it, their first joint public appearance since the divisive Democratic primary race ended.

"Unity is not only a beautiful place as we can see, it's a wonderful feeling, isn't it? And I know when we start here in this field in Unity, we'll end on the steps of the Capitol when Barack Obama takes the oath of office as our next president," Clinton said just after she and Obama took the stage together.

In turn, Obama praised both Clinton and her husband, President Clinton, as allies and pillars of the Democratic Party, saying: "We need them. We need them badly. Not just my campaign, but the American people need their service and their vision and their wisdom in the months and years to come because that's how we're going to bring about unity in the Democratic Party. And that's how we're going to bring about unity in America."

The location for the event seemed fitting for a number of reasons:

Moments earlier, the two snaked their way through some 6,000 people who gathered in a wide-open field and overflowed some bleacher seats in this town of 1,700. It was a carefully chosen venue in a key general election battleground state: Unity awarded exactly 107 votes to each candidate in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary in January.

Which, in hindsight, set the tone for the next six months.

Clinton encouraged her supporters to join with his "to create an unstoppable force for change we can all believe in." She addressed any of her backers who are considering not voting or voting for McCain instead of Obama: "I strongly urge you to reconsider."

"I know that he'll work for you. He'll fight for you, and he'll stand up for you every single day in the White House," Clinton said, calling Obama "a leader who invests in our future." [...]

"For 16 months, Senator Clinton and I have shared the stage as rivals for the nomination, but today I could not be happier and more honored and more moved that we're sharing this stage as allies to bring about the fundamental changes that this country so desperately needs," Obama said. "Hillary and I may have started with separate goals in this campaign, but we made history together."

"I've admired her as a leader, I've learned from her as a candidate. She rocks. She rocks. That's the point I'm trying to make," Obama said in response to cheers from the crowd.

Okay, I simply can't let this moment pass without making one final observation. Did Obama call Clinton to coordinate their wardrobe before the event? Just asking ...

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