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Obama, Clinton Urge Party Unity

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By MARK LEIBOVICH and JEFF ZELENY

The New York Times

Published: June 28, 2008

Updated: 06/28/2008 12:22 am

UNITY, N.H. - Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton came to this tiny town on Friday for their first public appearance after a bitter primary fight. Less certain was whether Unity would come to them.

"We had a spirited dialogue," acknowledged Clinton, speaking first before a crowd of roughly 3,000, many laughing. She was referring to the presidential nomination campaign, not the extended time the former rivals spent together Friday en route to the public premiere of what the Obama campaign hopes will be a long-running buddy movie, at least through November.

"That was the nicest way I could think of phrasing it," Clinton added, to more laughter.

Unity was both the venue and the watchword of the heavily choreographed event, held on the grounds of an old elementary school adjoined by fields of wildflowers.

"Unity is not only a beautiful place, as we can see. It's a wonderful feeling, isn't it?" Clinton said while Obama sat on a stool, nodding in agreement.

"I know firsthand how good she is, how tough she is, how passionate she is, how committed she is," Obama said of his vanquished rival a few minutes later.

Earlier Friday, Clinton and Obama arrived simultaneously at an airport in Washington, where they exchanged a kiss and smiled as they stepped onto a chartered plane. They chatted through the 70-minute flight, sitting side by side, and continued the conversation during a 60-minute bus ride to Unity.

As has been well-chronicled, this remote town near the Vermont border was chosen not just for its Hollywood name, but also for the perfect split of votes residents cast in the New Hampshire primary - 107 for each candidate. Less well-known is that the town of Unity was nearly torn asunder by a land dispute in the 18th century. Then called "Buckingham," it was rechristened "Unity" in 1764 after the conflict was resolved. "I hope you'll work as hard for Senator Obama as many of you did for me," Clinton said, directing her remarks to her supporters, some of them with Hillary T-shirts and placards.

"Hillary and I may have started with separate goals in this campaign, but we made history together," Obama said.

He placed special emphasis on her groundbreaking campaign as a woman. She demonstrated that "women can do anything that the boys can do, and do it better, and do it in heels," he said.

"Hillary rocks," one woman shouted, and Obama agreed. "She rocks, she rocks" and a chant of "Unity, Unity" went up from the back.

Not everyone got the unity memo, however. Carmella Lewis of Denver chanted "Hillary" while Obama spoke, smirked throughout his remarks and then stuffed her ears with scrunched-up tissue.

"I can't listen to him," she said. "No way are we voting for Obama. We're all voting for McCain."

"We have to make it a priority in our lives to elect Barack Obama the next president of the United States," Clinton told her supporters, including many who came with their own checks for Obama's campaign.

"This was a hard-fought campaign. That's what made it so exciting and intense and why people's passions ran so high on both sides."

She added, "But we are a family, and we have an opportunity now to really demonstrate clearly we do know what's at stake, and we will do whatever it takes to win back this White House."

Obama responded in a similar spirit. "For 16 months, Sen. Clinton and I have shared the stage as rivals. But today, I couldn't be happier and more honored and more moved that we're sharing this stage as allies."

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