(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-06-06 14:20

Clinton expressed the same sentiment in a conference call with 40 members of her national finance committee, whom she urged to begin raising money for Obama and for the Democratic National Committee.

"She was in good spirits and totally supportive, without qualification, of Senator Obama and his campaign," finance co-chairman Alan Patricof said of the call.

Fallen White House contender Hillary Clinton, pictured in April 2008, denied Thursday she was agitating to be named Barack Obama's vice presidential pick, as she prepared to pull the curtain down on her campaign. [Agencies]

It was a shift in tone by the former first lady, who announced 17 months ago that she was "in it to win it." Many of her supporters want her as the vice presidential candidate, in their minds a "dream ticket" that would bring Obama her enthusiastic legions and broaden his appeal to white and working-class voters.

On his campaign plane Thursday, Obama praised Clinton for inspiring millions of voters and said she had opened the doors for his two young daughters to imagine being president one day.

"We're going to speak to them but also listen to them and get advice," he said of Clinton's campaign team.

Obama also said he would welcome help from former President Clinton, calling him an "enormous talent."

Obama indicated he intends to take his time making a decision about inviting Hillary Clinton to join the ticket.

"We're not going to be rushed into it. I don't think Senator Clinton expects a quick decision and I don't even know that she's necessarily interested in that," Obama told NBC in an interview.

Clinton's move to formally declare that she is backing the Illinois senator came after Democratic congressional colleagues made clear they had no stomach for a protracted intraparty battle. Now that Obama has the delegates needed for the nomination, Clinton had little choice but to end her quest.

Some of her closest supporters — the nearly two dozen House Democrats from her home state of New York — switched their endorsements to Obama Thursday. Their public announcement followed two days of private phone calls weighing her options.

"She was just as spunky as ever," Rep. Charlie Rangel said of Clinton's mood on the calls, as her friends and supporters urged her to come to a decision "sooner rather than later."

Many of the lawmakers said it was important for them, as New Yorkers who are close to Clinton and helped launch her presidential bid, to work together to repair some of the rifts in the party.

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