Clinton campaigns for Obama cause

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Hillary Clinton has made her first solo campaign appearance backing Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama.

Mrs Clinton - who lost a hard-fought campaign to Mr Obama - told a Nevada crowd she wanted him to win.

The New York senator urged them to "remember who we were fighting in my campaign" and vote against Republican John McCain.

In June, Mrs Clinton conceded that Mr Obama had beaten her and appeared with him at a rally to endorse him.

"Anyone who voted for me or caucused for me has so much more in common with Senator Obama than Senator McCain," she said in Henderson, Nevada on Friday.

Grace and grit

Although she has already endorsed the Illinois senator in his run for the presidency, the speech was Mrs Clinton's first appearance backing him in public since they appeared on the stage together at a June rally.

Senator Obama needs all of us, he needs us working for him Hillary Clinton

"We may have started on two separate paths, but we are on one journey now," she said of her former rival.

The long primary campaign had shown "his passion, his determination, his grace and his grit", Mrs Clinton added.

Her husband, Bill Clinton, had talked down Mr Obama's strengths during the primary season.

But the Democratic party has announced the former president will speak at the party's national convention in Denver later this month.

High turnout needed

Friday's crowd cheered heartily at intervals throughout the speech as Mrs Clinton highlighted the differences between Mr Obama and Mr McCain on such issues as Supreme Court nominations and health care reform.

It was Clinton's first public display of support for Obama since June

She warned the Democrats would need a high voter turnout to win in November.

"Senator Obama needs all of us, he needs us working for him," said Mrs Clinton.

Both Democratic and Republican hopefuls focussed comments on Friday towards resolving the mounting political crisis in Georgia.

Mr McCain, campaigning in Iowa, urged the US to convene an emergency session of the UN Security Council to resolve the conflict between Moscow and Tbilisi over South Ossetia.

Mr Obama, en-route to a holiday in Hawaii, said it was important for the US to work with the international community to bring about a peaceful resolution.