Clinton Endorses Obama, 14 Times To Be Exact

You can go home again. With her gracious concession speech, Hillary Clinton was welcomed back into the Democratic fold.

Thousands of Clinton supporters gathered in the historic National Building Museum on Saturday and heard her say:

Well, this isn't exactly the party I planned, but I sure like the company.

Still, Clinton partied like it was 1999 1993 (and 1997) and showed that you can get a second chance to strut your stuff:

To all those who voted for me, and to whom I pledged my utmost, my commitment to you and to the progress we seek is unyielding. You have inspired and touched me with the stories of the joys and sorrows that make up the fabric of our lives and you have humbled me with your commitment to our country.

Eighteen million of you from all walks of life – women and men, young and old, Latino and Asian, African-American and Caucasian, rich, poor and middle class, gay and straight – you have stood strong with me. And I will continue to stand strong with you, every time, every place, and every way that I can. The dreams we share are worth fighting for.

Clinton then said the words Barack Obama waited to hear:

I endorse him, and throw my full support behind him. And I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me.

In fact, she said his name a whopping 14 times during her 30 minute speech. Clinton's full-throated endorsement of Obama was the epilogue to a dramatic primary season. But the drama isn't over: Obama must now win over her supporters.

And what do Clinton voters want? They want R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Borrowing a tactic from black voters, their message to Obama: If you don't respect us, don't expect us.

So Obama can expect to spend a lot of time wooing Clinton supporters. To paraphrase Elmore James, don't send no text message or "Thank you, Hillary" note. Obama needs to reach out to them "person to person."

A first step: Ask for their vote.