Former US President Bill Clinton has formally nominated Barack Obama as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, making a passionate plea to his countrymen to vote in his favour saying the incumbent was cool on the outside but "burns for America" inside.
Taking up the podium at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte last night as the last speaker on the second day of the Democratic National Convention, charismatic Clinton said he wants to nominate a man whose own life has known its fair share of adversity and uncertainty.
"We're here to nominate a President, and I've got one in mind. I want Barack Obama to be the next president of the United States and I proudly nominate him as the standard bearer of the Democratic Party," Clinton said.
"I want to nominate a man cool on the outside but burning for America on the inside. A man who believes we can build a new American dream economy driven by innovation and creativity, education and cooperation. A man who had the good sense to marry Michelle Obama," he said.
Clinton's nomination of Obama as the Democratic candidate was approved by the party's delegates at the convention.
Obama faces Republican Mitt Romney in the November presidential elections.
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Clinton said Obama's approach embodies the values, the ideas, and the direction America must take to build a 21st century version of the American dream in a nation of shared opportunities, shared prosperity and shared responsibilities.
Referring to the November 6 elections, he said Americans have to decide what kind of country they want to live in.
"If you want a you're on your own, winner take all society you should support the Republican ticket. If you want a country of shared opportunities and shared responsibilities – a 'we're all in it together' society, you should vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden," he said.
Clinton appealed to his fellow Americans to vote and re-elect President Barack Obama.
"If you want a future of shared prosperity, where the middle class is growing and poverty is declining, where the American Dream is alive and well, and where the United States remains the leading force for peace and prosperity in a highly competitive world, you should vote for Barack Obama," he said.
Clinton said he nominated a man who ran for President to change the course of an already weak economy and then just six weeks before the election, saw it suffer the biggest collapse since the Great Depression.
"A man who stopped the slide into depression and put us on the long road to recovery, knowing all the while that no matter how many jobs were created and saved, there were still millions more waiting, trying to feed their children and keep their hopes alive," he said.
Obama's "all of the above" energy plan is helping too – the boom in oil and gas production combined with greater energy efficiency has driven oil imports to a near 20 year low and natural gas production to an all time high. Renewable energy production has also doubled, he said.
"If you think the President was right to open the doors of American opportunity to young immigrants brought here as children who want to go to college or serve in the military, you should vote for Barack Obama," he said.
Clinton also praised the role of his wife Hillary Clinton as the Secretary of State under the Obama Administration.
"I'm so proud of her and grateful to our entire national security team for all they've done to make us safer and stronger and to build a world with more partners and fewer enemies," Clinton said.
Clinton also praised Obama for appointing Hillary as his cabinet colleague who bitterly fought against him during the 2008 primaries.
"One of the main reasons America should re-elect President Obama is that he is still committed to cooperation. He appointed Republican Secretaries of Defense, the Army and Transportation. He appointed a Vice President who ran against him in 2008, and trusted him to oversee the successful end of the war in Iraq and the implementation of the recovery act. And Joe Biden did a great job with both," he said.
"He appointed Cabinet members who supported Hillary in the primaries. Heck, he even appointed Hillary!" Clinton said amidst another round of applause and cheer from the audience.
Clinton said he is also grateful to the young men and women who serve the country in the military and to Michelle Obama and Jill Biden for supporting military families when their loved ones are overseas and for helping veterans, when they come home bearing the wounds of war, or needing help with education, housing and jobs.
"President Obama's record on national security is a tribute to his strength and judgment and to his preference for inclusion and partnership over partisanship," he said.