WASHINGTON WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton will end her campaign and endorse Barack Obama on Saturday, a move that comes as her supporters continued to push for her to gain a place on the Democratic ticket as his running mate.
Clinton's decision, which some prominent supporters had urged her to make, is likely to simplify Obama's efforts to unify the party, even as questions remain about her eventual role in his campaign.
Questions about Clinton's intentions had threatened to overshadow Obama's historic achievement in becoming the first African-American candidate to clinch the presidential nomination of a major party. Even some Clinton supporters criticized her for failing to acknowledge Obama's victory in her election-night speech Tuesday after the party's final primaries.
Clinton will host an event in Washington on Saturday to express her support for Obama and Democratic unity, her campaign announced last night.
Asked for his reaction, Obama, who was in New York City for fundraising events, said, "Truth is, I haven't had time to think about it. This weekend, I'm going home, talk it over with Michelle [his wife], and we're going on a date."
The two senators spoke briefly in Washington earlier in the day, and Obama told reporters later that he looked forward to meeting with Clinton in the "coming weeks."
Some Democratic strategists said the best course would be for the former rivals to settle their differences as soon as possible, so the Illinois senator could turn his full attention to Republican John McCain and the general election race.
"Otherwise, it provides another distraction," said Ronald Walters, who helped manage the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson's 1984 presidential campaign and is now a professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland, College Park. The negotiations with Clinton are "the first challenge" for Obama, who will be unable to focus fully on the fall campaign "if he's got this thing lagging behind."
While keeping an eye on Clinton, the Obama campaign looked ahead to the general election. McCain's and Obama's campaign managers held a telephone discussion after the Arizona senator challenged Obama to a series of town-hall style appearances over the next three months.
Obama's manager, David Plouffe, said in a statement that Obama finds the town-hall idea "appealing" but prefers a "less structured and lengthier" format along the lines of the Lincoln-Douglas debates.
