John Edwards pays tribute to Hillary Clinton
Grand Rapids, Michigan - May 14th, 2008 During the course of this presidential campaign, I've gotten to know the candidates and the top candidates very, very well. We have all been out speaking about the causes that are so near and dear to our hearts as Democrats. And now we're here down to two amazing candidates.
And before -- 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 months and 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.
And we've talked about our own children and 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 her being that America can be a better place and that we need change to make America what it's capable of being.
I want to tell you -- and I know this is hard to understand sometimes. But it is very, very hard to get up every day 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 -- 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.http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0805/14/sitroom.03.htmlI hope that Barack Obama's supporters here on Democratic Underground will take a moment to read and reflect on these words, which were personally applauded by Obama when John Edwards said them in Michigan on Wednesday.