Clinton gets Obama nominated by acclamation

Democrats have nominated Barack Obama as their presidential candidate in a historic first for a black American.

He was backed by his former bitter rival, Senator Hillary Clinton. She took the lead at the Democratic party convention to cut short the roll call of voting state by state, normally a long process full of speech making, and cut straight to the chase.

When it was the turn of her state – New York, to announce the results, she stood up to say: “Let’s declare together, in one voice, right here, right now, that Barack Obama is our candidate and he will be our president”.

When the convention delegates roared their approval, Clinton moved to make her proposition formal. She said: “I move Senator Barack Obama of Illinois be selected by this convention by acclamation as the nominee of the Democratic party for president of the United States.”

All that was left was for Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker, to call on the delegates to do just that.

The penultimate day of the convention also heard Bill Clinton, the former president giving Obama a ringing endorsement.

On the last day it will be Obama’s turn to accept the nomination in a speech that he hopes will lift his campaign and galvanise the party.