Hillary Clinton To Suspend Campaign Saturday

***UPDATE***
The Clinton campaign issued a statement at around 9pm saying they will be hosting an event to announce her support for Sen. Obama on Saturday, as opposed to Friday:

Senator Clinton will be hosting an event in Washington, DC 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.

Multiple news organizations reported early Wednesday evening that Hillary Clinton is expected to officially suspend her campaign and drop out of the Democratic race on Friday.

The Times has more details on the ending of her campaign:

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is moving to suspend her campaign and endorse Senator Barack Obama on Friday after Democratic members of Congress urged her on Wednesday to leave the race and allow the party to unite around Mr. Obama, according to a senior adviser to Mrs. Clinton.

Mrs. Clinton is likely to make the announcement in New York City, an aide said, although no final venue has been chosen.

Her decision came after a day of telephone conversations with supporters on Capital Hill about what she should do now that Mr. Obama has claimed enough delegates to secure the nomination. Mrs. Clinton had initially said she wanted to wait before making any decision, but her aides said that in conversations, some of her closest supporters said it was urgent that she step aside.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the word from the Obama camp is that a joint ticket is unlikely:

Close supporters suggested she would like to be his running mate, on a unity ticket.

But close advisers to Sen. Obama signaled an Obama-Clinton ticket was highly unlikely. People in both camps cited what several called "a deal-breaker" -- Bill Clinton may balk at releasing records of his business dealings and big donors to his presidential library.

Comments

[jj]

The window for exiting this race with any class and dignity closed last night.

Regardless I hope she'll finally start to tend to the wounds of our party she ripped open these last several months.

[nyhfrog]

I've thought about this and I slightly disagree:

Had she said words, last night, to the effect of "Tonight is not a night to make a decision either way but it is a night to congratulate Barack Obama on making history. It is a night to congratulate Barack Obama for receiving the necessary number of delegates to be the nominee of the Democratic Party."

It would have essentially been a concession but it would have allowed her Friday night as her own. She closed the window you refer to when she refused to do this.

What a metaphor for her campaign: she held her rally in a basement with no connection to the outside (real) world.

[jj]

I agree. Thank you for the thoughtfulness. :)

[asuarezkargbo]

Now, some of her supporters can come to grips with reality and make a logical choice between Obama and the horrible McBush alternative.

[heal57]

I don't think she will concede even after Barack's elected as President. She is outrageous and her ego is a big as many males in politics. I don't trust her even though it's over.


Independent for Obama '08

[LaFilleEnRose]

She's not dropping out. She's out. She lost. Just because she wasn't magnanimous enough or gracious enough to get out last night or a month earlier when it was clear she'd never get enough delegates, doesn't mean she's not out of it. It's just her pushy, I'm the important one crap that no one cares about any more. So don't do us any favors Hillary. Keep paying your staff if you want to dig deeper into debt. It's your biz not ours anymore. Thank God!

[asuarezkargbo]

YES!!! God Heard my prayer!!

[vulcan]

Well if she does then while I disagree with some of her tactics I will commend her for fighting a courageous battle. I respect her determination and we should all stop saying hateful things about her and try to bring this party back together.

[Trinidad707]

I guess we know now what CHANGE represents to Obama campaign....which is change your mind!..some time back on this blog when obama carried popular vote and C;linton had delegates ,Obama campaign complained the it would be wrong for cigar chomping washington insiders to decide the nominee, but now that it is reversed , it seems to be perfectly fine! 2166 of 4000 some odd pledged delegates are deciding who is the presidential nominee, not the popular vote...which Clinton has.....the "CHANGE" Obama speaks of is the elimination of democracy and counting the nations votes, and merely allowing Washington Insiders to choose him as the nominee.......does that represent the nation NO IT DOES NOT!!!

[daedalus43]

Ummm......I think if you take a close look at "popular vote" and include the caucus states, she lost that as well as the number of committed delegates, super delegates, states, and just about everything else (including grace). She ran a terrible, ineffective, and divisive campaign, and I'm not sure why anyone would think that she woldn't do the same in November, with the same results.

[blulabrat]

Yeah I've heard this before. I won't believe it til I actually see it happen for myself.

[macbabe]

I wish her supports believed her on their bog!

[GoCheneyYourself]

Bog, swamp, whatever.

[McFlipFlop]

I am hopeful, but I did see the word 'likely' in the article.