Obama, Clinton rally in 'Unity'

UNITY, N.H. -- The winner and the runner-up in the Democratic presidential nominating contest made their public debut as allies Friday, pledging in a location loaded with symbolism to unite the party and win the White House.

The sun beat down and the sound system played U2's "It's a Beautiful Day" as Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton walked onto a field in a town named Unity, where each received exactly 107 votes in the state's January primary.

Harmony was the order of the day, from the outfits to the rhetoric.

Clinton wore a sky-blue pantsuit that matched Obama's tie. He put his arm around her shoulder.

She leaned in to talk in his ear. They competed to say nice things about each other.

Obama said he and Clinton had shared the stage as rivals for 16 months.

"Today I could not be happier and more honored and more moved that we're sharing the stage as allies," he said. "I've admired her as a leader. I've learned from her as a candidate. She rocks. She rocks. That's the point I'm trying to make."

Clinton said the pair's separate paths have merged with the goal of turning their 36 million votes into "an unstoppable force for change."

Referring to the primary victory that revived her campaign, she said New Hampshire has "a special place in my heart. And I am here today to insure that come November, New Hampshire will have a special place in Barack Obama's heart as well."

Both candidates addressed potential problems keeping some Clinton supporters from getting on board.

Clinton had strong words for those who are thinking about voting for Republican John McCain, or not voting at all.

"I strongly urge you to reconsider," she said.

She called McCain and President Bush "two sides of the same coin and it doesn't amount to a whole lot of change."

Clinton said McCain "and the Republicans may have hoped that we wouldn't join forces like this. They may have wished that we wouldn't stand united to fight this battle with everything we've got. But I've got news for them. We are one party. We are one America. And we are not going to rest until we take back our country."