Clinton Finally Concedes to Obama

Sen.
Hillary Clinton thanked supporters in an e-mail Thursday and
pledged to help Sen. Barack Obama capture the White House after eight
years of Republican control.

Clinton plans to thank supporters in
person at a Washington D.C. event Saturday, her campaign said, but she
got a head start in an e-mail the campaign sent early Thursday.

"I have said throughout the campaign that I would strongly support
Senator Obama if he were the Democratic Party's nominee, and I intend
to deliver on that promise," the message said.

Major Garrett reports
that it was pressure from three high-powered House Democrats that
finally forced Hillary Clinton into setting a date to suspend her
campaign for the nomination.

Congressional sources tell Major that Reps. Charlie Rangel of New
York, Barney Frank of Massachusetts, and Norm Dicks of Washington
leaned on Hillary Clinton to end her campaign this week, after she
declined to give a date for her departure on a conference call with
about 20 congressional supporters

Rangel, Frank and Dicks made separate appeals to Clinton to come up
with a plan to leave the race and throw her support behind Obama,
telling her the party needs to unify.

Bowing
to pressure and the unyielding political math, Sen. Hillary Rodham
Clinton will end her history-making campaign by Saturday and endorse
Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Clinton's decision followed a day of private consultation with
donors, members of Congress and union supporters, who urged her to back
Obama for the sake of party unity, a sentiment voiced throughout the
day by Democratic Party leaders. Some were angry she failed to concede
Tuesday night, when it was clear Obama had clinched the nomination.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hillary Rodham Clinton has decided to end her historic presidential campaign while leaving her options open to retain her delegates and promote her issue agenda, a campaign official says.

The former first lady told House Democrats during a private conference call Wednesday that she will express support for Barack Obama's candidacy and congratulate him for gathering the necessary delegates to be the party's nominee.

"Senator Clinton will be hosting an event in Washington, D.C., to thank her supporters and express her support for Senator Obama and party unity. This event will be held on Saturday to accommodate more of Senator Clinton's supporters who want to attend," her communications director Howard Wolfson said.

Also in the speech, Clinton will urge once-warring Democrats to focus on the general election and defeating Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

The announcement brought to a close an epic five-month nominating battle pitting the first serious female candidate against the most viable black contender ever.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton on Saturday will
officially suspend her campaign for the presidency and "express her
support for Senator Obama and party unity," her campaign said
Wednesday.

The Clinton campaign said she will make the announcement at "an
event in Washington, D.C.," where she will also thank her supporters.

Obama and Clinton were in Washington on Wednesday to each address the
influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The candidates
ran into each other at the AIPAC conference and had a brief chat, Obama
spokeswoman Linda Douglass said.

"She's an extraordinary leader
of the Democratic Party and has made history alongside me over the last
16 months. I'm very proud to have competed against her," Obama told the
Israel lobbying group.

Obama became his party's presumptive
nominee Tuesday and will be looking to unite Democrats divided by the
long and contentious primary season.