WP, pg1: Party Unity Tops Agenda For Democrats; Obama Heads to Denver Via Key States

Party Unity Tops Agenda For Democrats
Obama Heads to Denver Via Key States
By Shailagh Murray and Anne E. Kornblut
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, August 25, 2008; A01


A marker at the Democratic convention site in Denver reflects an environmental focus. (Preston Keres/WP)

DENVER, Aug. 24 -- Sen. Barack Obama launched a four-day tour of battleground states Sunday to coincide with Monday's opening of the Democratic convention and its ambitious agenda of selling Obama to a national audience, presenting a forceful case against Republican rival John McCain and unifying a party still recovering from a bruising primary.

The gathering here carries unusually high stakes for a party that believes the White House is within its grasp but understands that victory remains far from certain. Democrats have packed their convention schedule with speakers who will seek to validate Obama and create the image of a leader capable beyond his years and a worthy foe to McCain, a seasoned war hero.

Some of the convention presentations will be designed to spark an emotional response, while others are aimed at specific constituencies, including veterans. Monday's program includes a speech by Michelle Obama, the candidate's wife, and a video tribute by award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (Mass.), one of Obama's most important early supporters. The film will be introduced by Caroline Kennedy, a close Obama ally and the daughter of former president John F. Kennedy.

But the most important events of the first days of the convention will center on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and her supporters. The senator from New York won 18 million votes in her nomination battle with Obama, and the enthusiastic support of her followers is critical to Obama's hopes of winning in November. She will speak Tuesday night, but her message at events behind the scenes may be just as important. In an important shift, Democratic officials confirmed Sunday that Clinton will release her delegates to Obama at a reception on Wednesday. Clinton's gesture has the potential to reduce the appearance of friction while reinforcing her status as one of the party's most formidable power brokers....

As delegates and media poured into Denver, Obama campaigned in Eau Claire, Wis., kicking off a four-day tour of swing states. He sought to project the image of an average American who enjoys family gatherings and barbecues. And he continued to revel in the positive reception to Saturday's announcement of Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. as his running mate. Obama called the veteran senator from Delaware "the right man for the job."...

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