Philadelphia: US President Barack Obama will tonight vouch for Democratic White House nominee Hillary Clintons readiness for the job, saying she is more qualified than anyone else to serve as president of the United States.
“I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as President of the United States of America,” Obama will tell the nation in his address at the Democratic National Convention here, according to the excerpts of the speech released by the White House.
Clinton, Obamas bitter primary rival in the 2008 presidential elections, served as his Secretary of State in his first term from 2009-2012.
On Tuesday, Clinton was formally nominated as the Democratic partys presidential candidate for the November general elections.
By doing so she became the first woman presidential nominee of a major political party.
“You know, nothing truly prepares you for the demands of the Oval Office. Until youve sat at that desk, you dont know what its like to manage a global crisis or send young people to war,” Obama said in the excerpts of his prepared speech.
“But Hillary?s been in the room; shes been part of those decisions. She knows whats at stake in the decisions our government makes for the working family, the senior citizen, the small business owner, the soldier, and the veteran,” he said.
“Even in the middle of crisis, she listens to people, and keeps her cool, and treats everybody with respect. And no matter how daunting the odds; no matter how much people try to knock her down, she never, ever quits,” he said.
According to the excerpts of the speech, Obama said the America he knows is full of courage, optimism, and ingenuity.
“The America I know is decent and generous. Sure, we have real anxieties ? about paying the bills, protecting our kids, caring for a sick parent. We get frustrated with political gridlock, worry about racial divisions; are shocked and saddened by the madness of Orlando or Nice,” he said.
“There are pockets of America that never recovered from factory closures; men who took pride in hard work and providing for their families who now feel forgotten. Parents who wonder whether their kids will have the same opportunities we have,” Obama said.
“All that is real: were challenged to do better, to be better. But as Ive traveled this country, through all fifty states, as Ive rejoiced with you and mourned with you, what Ive also seen, more than anything, is what is right with America,” Obama said in his excerpts of the speech.
“I see people working hard and starting businesses; people teaching kids and serving our country. I see a younger generation full of energy and new ideas, unconstrained by what is, and ready to seize what ought to be,” said the US President.
Obama is expected to campaign heavily across the nation in support of Clinton in October, White House officials said. PTI