More signs of Democratic unity

Further uniting the Democratic Party behind Barack Obama as its nominee, the New York congressional delegation this afternoon came out en masse to declare him their standard bearer and laud Hillary Clinton's planned endorsement of Obama on Saturday.

"We come here collectively to endorse the decision by our fearless leader," Representative Charlie Rangel told reporters. "We're so proud of her."

Rangel has been among Clinton's most loyal supporters, but on Wednesday he publicly called out the New York senator for not acknowledging that Obama had won the nomination. After hours of pressure from Rangel and other key backers, Clinton's campaign issued a statement Wednesday night about the Saturday endorsement event.

Rangel called Obama an "outstanding candidate."

While he said he had not discussed the possibility with Clinton, he added his voice promoting her for Obama's running mate.

"I think she'd make a fantastic partner in government," Rangel said.

UPDATE: Blair Latoff, a Republican National Committee spokeswoman, said Rangel and other Democrats "in New York and across the country are attempting to put the best face on a primary that has radically divided their party. No amount of lip service can disguise the very real questions Democrats have raised about Barack Obama’s candidacy or the very real reluctance many Democrat voters have about supporting their party’s nominee."

The Democratic National Committee also issued another statement this afternoon calling for party unity.

"I congratulate both candidates, and thank them for their commitment not only to our Party but to our country we all love and serve," DNC Chairman Howard Dean said in the statement. "This has been a transformative election for the Democratic Party in no small part because of these two extraordinary candidates, the historic nature of both campaigns, and the passion, intellect and dedication they brought to the campaign trail every day.

"On behalf of the Democratic family, I congratulate Senator Obama on becoming our party's presumptive nominee and look forward to working with him and his team as we work to ensure that he is the next president of the United States. Democrats across America are so grateful to Senator Hillary Clinton for her leadership, her commitment to America and the Democratic Party. You have inspired millions of Americans to participate in our democracy and raised critical issues during the course of this campaign. We look forward to your ongoing leadership.

"This has been a hard fought race and there have been bitter disagreements along the way but the time for disagreements has ended. It's time to come together and unite our Party. Each and every one of us has the responsibility to help ensure that our party is unified and we will all work toward an Obama Administration that will bring change we can all believe in."