Painful last act for vanquished Clinton

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Hillary Clinton on Saturday formally folds her historic quest to be America's first woman president, after a nominating campaign once seen as inevitable crumbled under Barack Obama's onslaught.

Clinton's ordeal, in Washington's National Building Museum, will be closely watched for the tenor of her endorsement of the presumptive Democratic nominee, after her first post-primary effort last Tuesday struck some as ungracious.

The former first lady's rally will be the latest attempt to unite the Democratic Party after a divisive campaign, and follows a secret meeting with Obama on Thursday night, and speculation about her vice presidential prospects.

Clinton's constituency of white, working class voters, women and Hispanics could play a crucial...