Clinton delivers ringing call for Democratic unity

Hillary Clinton delivered a ringing call for Democratic Party unity on Tuesday, promising to work for Barack Obama and challenging her supporters to bury their grudges and rally behind his White House bid.

"Whether you voted for me or voted for Mr Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose," said Mrs Clinton in a speech Democrats hope will end a lingering party rift left over from their bitter nominating fight.

Mrs Clinton, a New York senator, praised Mr Obama and said Democrats could not sit on the sidelines and watch Republican presidential candidate John McCain take the White House and "squander the promise of our country".

"No way, no how, no McCain. Barack Obama is my candidate and he must be our President," Mrs Clinton told a roaring crowd waving a sea of white "Hillary" signs.

Mrs Clinton used her highly anticipated turn in the spotlight to say Democrats must unite to help the first-term Illinois senator beat McCain in the November 4 election. A Democrat is needed in the White House to turn around the struggling US economy, she said.

"When Barack Obama is in the White House, he'll revitalise our economy, defend the working people of America, and meet the global challenges of our time," Clinton said. Mr Obama watched the speech on television in Billings, Montana, as he makes his way to Denver to accept the nomination tonight. "That was a strong speech," he said. "I thought she was outstanding."

He called Hillary and Bill Clinton afterwards to congratulate them on the speech and tell them he was grateful for their support, Mr Obama adviser Robert Gibbs said.

Mrs Clinton also offered plenty of criticism of Mr McCain, an Arizona senator whom she called "my colleague and my friend".

"But we don't need four more years of the last eight years," she said, linking Mr McCain to the policies of Republican President George W. Bush. "John McCain says the economy is fundamentally sound. John McCain doesn't think that 47 million people without health insurance is a crisis. John McCain wants to privatise social security. And this year, he still thinks it's okay when women don't earn equal pay for equal work," Mrs Clinton said.

McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said Mrs Clinton would not convince undecided voters that Mr Obama was ready to be commander-in-chief.

"Millions of Hillary Clinton supporters and millions of Americans remain concerned about whether Barack Obama is ready to be President," Mr Bounds said.

"At this critical moment in our history, we have one shot to get it right, and the status quo just won't cut it," said Mark Warner, a moderate who is favoured to win his race for the US Senate in Virginia this year.

Some of Tuesday's other speakers cranked up the criticism of Mr McCain at the urging of Democrats who wanted a tougher approach. The first night of the convention focused on presenting a softer, more personal side of Mr Obama.

Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer brought the crowd to its feet with a dynamic condemnation of Mr McCain's energy policies and a reference to his seven homes.

"We simply can't drill our way to energy independence, even if you drilled in all of John McCain's backyards, including the ones he can't even remember," he said.