Web Video: How Obama & Clinton found Unity for Democrats

GWEN IFILL: The Democrats kiss and make up.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY): We may have started on separate paths, but today our paths have merged. Today, we are coming together for the same goal -- to elect Barack Obama as the next president of the United States. (Applause.)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL): She rocks. She rocks. (Applause, cheers.) That's the point I'm trying to make.
IFILL: Or do they? What can Hillary Clinton do for Barack Obama? And what can he do for her?
IFILL: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on stage together on a sunny New Hampshire day. The crowd cheered for him, then for her. She sang his praises, he sang hers.
SEN. CLINTON: I was honored to be in this race with Barack, and I am proud that we had a spirited dialogue. (Laughter.) That was the nicest way I could think of phrasing it. (Laughter, applause.) But it was spirited because we both care so much.
SEN. OBAMA: My daughters and all of your daughters will forever know that there is no barrier to who they are and what they can be in the United States of America. (Applause, cheers.) They can take for granted that women can do anything that the boys can do -- (applause, cheers) -- and do it better, and do it in heels.
MS. IFILL: And do it in heels. (Laughs.) You know, they're so chummy. If you'd been asleep for the past six months, you'd never know these two had been at each other's throats just weeks ago. Jim was watching all of this as it played out. Was it as unified and happy as it seemed?
MR. BARNES: Oh, we sure didn't have any of those shame-on-you comments that both of them hurled at each other during their very hard fought --
MS. IFILL: Nobody called anybody else an elitist today.
MR. BARNES: No. No. Not today. And I doubt that we're going to see that from each other -- from either one of them in the future. I think it was a pretty, pretty successful day. I talked to one of the Obama co-chairs in New Hampshire who summed up the day by saying, mission accomplished. And I think the Obama people were really were really pretty pleased with the event.
MS. IFILL: Careful. The last time that was said -- (laughter).
MR. BARNES: True. True. But you know, what was really interesting was really how far Senator Clinton went. At one point in her speech she acknowledged that Senator Obama would make a fine commander-in-chief, and you could hear her almost eating away at one of her -- the red phone -- the red telephone commercial bit --
MR. WILLIAMS: At 3:00 in the morning.
MR. BARNES: -- that that she ran. The other interesting point was, you know, after she got out of the race, when she first endorsed Obama the Saturday after the last primaries she sung his praises, but held back any criticism of John McCain.
Today, there was no such reluctance on her part. She said, you know, if you want more right wing judges John McCain's your man. If you want more tax cuts for the rich, John McCain's your man. And she said, you know, George Bush and John McCain they're really two sides of the same coin, and that's not much change. And that was music, I think, to the Obama campaign's ears.
MS. IFILL: She also seemed to be talking more about his legacy than hers. Last time, she was talking about her 18 million voters. Today, she was talking about their 36 million voters.
MR. BAKER: But what about those 18 million voters? How much will they be moved by this kind of an event, particularly women voters and other voters who have been most fervent about her, and most upset about this result? Will they now shift, do you think?
MR. BARNES: Well I think there's a little time will tell in this, but certainly, that's a major objective for the Obama campaign. But one interesting little vignette -- after the speech, after they both spoke, and then worked some of the rope lines at the event there was a small little holding room where a number of important New Hampshire politicos were there, including many of the women in the state legislature in the leadership of the state legislature who had supported Hillary Clinton. And I'm told that all of these women were very enthusiastic and all wanted their pictures taken with Senator Obama.
MS. GREENHOUSE: So in terms of her vice presidential prospects, could people tell from either the body language, you know, have there been --
MS. IFILL: Yes. I've been studying that, too. (Laughter.)
MR. BARNES: You know, a couple times they were sort of embracing arm in arm, but we didn't we didn't get that kind of classic, the clasped hands and the raised arms that we're so used to associating with the two -- the two ticket mates like on the night of an acceptance speech. I think that the Obama campaign would rather have Clinton's enthusiastic support, have her out there campaigning for him, but not on the ticket with him. I think the sense is that Hillary Clinton -- and they looked like have a very compelling potential ticket today, and certainly for rank and file Democrats it would be a great ticket and it's the best way to unify the party. But, you know, earlier this week David Plouffe, Senator Obama's campaign manager, was talking to reporters, and he was emphatic in saying that this election is really going to be decided by the independent voters. And the concern is is that that Hillary Clinton may just be a little too polarizing for some of those independent voters.
MR. WILLIAMS: He needs her voters. She needs his help with raising money. How's that going to work out?
MR. BARNES: I think all the details I think are still being worked upon.
MS. IFILL: He gave her a personal check today.
MR. BARNES: He gave her a personal check, and there was a check also from Mrs. Obama.
MR. WILLIAMS: Where does that money come from that he would give to her -- (inaudible)?
MR. BARNES: Well, I think -- the easiest way would be for him to send an e-mail to his 1.7 million contributors saying, help bail her out. The Obama campaign has indicated, we don't want to do that. He said he will, however, urge his wealthy donors to help pay off her debts.