Hillary Clinton will be placed in nomination at convention
Clinton and Barack Obama agree to 'honor Sen. Clinton's historic campaign' with the vote.
WASHINGTON -- Hillary Rodham Clinton's name will be placed into nomination at the Democratic National Convention later this month, ending months of speculation about how her candidacy -- and supporters -- would be represented there.
"I am convinced that honoring Sen. Clinton's historic campaign in this way will help us celebrate this defining moment in our history and bring the party together in a strong, united fashion," Barack Obama said in a statement issued jointly by their two press offices.
The announcement ended months of speculation about the convention role for Clinton, who ran a spirited and competitive primary challenge to Obama. She had wanted a roll call vote at the convention as a way to acknowledge her historic achievement as the first female candidate to come close to winning her party's nomination for the presidency.
In her part of the statement, Clinton blessed the arrangement, saying, "With every voice heard and the party strongly united, we will elect Sen. Obama president of the United States and put our nation on the path to peace and prosperity once again."
In the statement, both sides said that they want to ensure "that the voices of all 35 million people who participated in this historic primary election are respected and heard in Denver. To honor and celebrate these voices and votes, both Sen. Obama's and Sen. Clinton's names will be placed in nomination."
The Obama campaign meanwhile released a new ad -- to be aired next week during the Olympics -- promoting a plan to create jobs.
With Obama on vacation in Hawaii this week, Republican Sen. John McCain has been pounding him on economic issues, telling voters in Michigan Wednesday that Obama will raise taxes and hurt job growth.
Against a backdrop of time-lapse photography showing a house being built, the 30-second ad touts Obama's plan to "put the middle class ahead of corporate interests . . . end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas . . . cut taxes for working families . . . and make energy independence an urgent national priority."
McCain, who penned an opinion piece in today's Wall Street Journal declaring that "We Are All Georgians," is expected to talk about the fighting in Georgia and other issues at the Aspen Institute in Colorado later today.
johanna.neuman@latimes.com
peter.wallsten@latimes.com
