Obama Claims the Democratic Presidential Nomination

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Obama: 'I Will Be the Democratic Nominee'

Democrat Barack Obama spoke before thousands of supporters in St. Paul, Minnesota Tuesday; as he earned enough delegates to claim his party's nomination. Obama praised his democratic challengers, especially Hillary Rodham Clinton.

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McCain, 71, who secured the Republican nomination months ago, sought to begin the general election in earnest in a speech tonight in which he praised Clinton and attacked Obama as the wrong sort of change.

"Senator Clinton has earned great respect for his tenacity and courage," McCain said. "The media often overlooked how compassionately she spoke to the concerns and dreams of millions of Americans, and she deserves a lot more appreciation than she sometimes received." His remarks appeared to be a direct appeal to the many Clinton supporters who have indicated in exit polls that they wouldn't back Obama in the general election.

When it came to Obama, McCain was less complimentary. While he praised the Illinois senator as a "formidable" foe for the fall, McCain described Obama as supporting the wrong kind of change for the country. McCain also rejected Obama's attempts to link the Arizona Republican to President Bush's policies. "He tries to drum it into your minds by constantly repeating it rather than debate honestly the very different directions he and I would take the country," said McCain of Obama's tactic.

For his part, Obama, 46, sought to portray McCain as a political clone of Bush, supporting his stands on the war in Iraq and tax cuts. "While John McCain can legitimately tout moments of independence from his party in the past, such independence has not been the hallmark of his presidential campaign," said Obama.

Obama entered the day roughly 40 delegates away from the magic number of 2,118 necessary to officially secure the nomination. A steady stream of superdelegates announced their support for him throughout the day, however, steadily moving him toward the coveted political goal line. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (S.C.), the highest-ranking African American in Congress, declared in endorsing Obama: "Today the process ends."

Even as Clinton pledged to speak with her supporters about what the next step in her campaign should be, there were signs that she was leaving open the possibility of serving as Obama's vice president.