Hillary Clinton sent an e-mail to her supporters Thursday saying she will deliver a speech this weekend to congratulate rival Barack Obama and offer her support, effectively ending a "a long and hard-fought campaign" for the Democratic presidential nomination.
In language that sounded much like a concession speech, the New York senator said she had been "privileged and touched" by the people who contributed their time and money to her campaign.
"On Saturday, I will extend my congratulations to Sen. Obama and my support for his candidacy," Clinton wrote of the speech to be delivered in Washington, D.C. "This has been a long and hard-fought campaign, but as I have always said, my differences with Sen. Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Sen. McCain and the Republicans."
Meanwhile, amid speculation that Clinton is angling for the No. 2 spot on the Democratic ticket, Obama indicated that he will take his time deciding on a running mate.
"We're not going to be rushed into it. I don't think Sen. Clinton expects a quick decision, and I don't even know that she's necessarily interested in that," Obama told NBC in an interview aired Thursday.
Clinton's move to formally declare that she is backing the Illinois senator came after Democratic congressional colleagues made clear that they wanted to avoid a protracted intraparty battle.
Obama secured the 2,118 delegates needed to clinch the Democratic nomination Tuesday night. But Clinton stopped short of acknowledging that milestone, defiantly insisting that she is better positioned to defeat McCain in November.
"What does Hillary want? What does she want?" Clinton asked, hours after telling supporters she'd be open to joining Obama as his vice presidential running mate.
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