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Hillary Clinton has delivered a full-throated appeal for her supporters to unite behind Barack Obama, using her prime time speech at the Democratic convention to declare: "Barack Obama is my candidate. And he must be our President."

Her arrival on the stage in Denver capped another day of speculation and intrigue about lingering resentment from the Clintons over their 16-year domination of the party coming to an end, as well as the palpable anger felt by many of her supporters after the titanic battle with Mr Obama for their party's nomination.

After being introduced by her daughter, Chelsea, and greeted with a long ovation from most delegates - although some chose to remain seated or refuse to applaud - Mrs Clinton's eyes briefly filled with tears. But her speech was pitch-perfect from the beginning.

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"Whether you voted for me, or voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose. We are on the same team, and none of us can sit on the sidelines," she said.

Driving home the sharpened attacks Democrats had been making all day against Republican nominee, John McCain, she added: "I haven’t spent the past 35 years in the trenches advocating for children, campaigning for universal health care, helping parents balance work and family, and fighting for women’s rights at home and around the world to see another Republican in the White House squander the promise of our country and the hopes of our people.

"And you haven’t worked so hard over the last 18 months, or endured the last eight years, to suffer through more failed leadership. No way. No how. No McCain."

She then produced a ferocious one-liner about Mr McCain, comparing him to President Bush and suggesting it was no coincidence the Republicans are holding their convention in Minneapolis-St Paul next week. "It makes sense that George Bush and John McCain will be together next week in the Twin Cities. Because these days it's awfully hard to tell them apart."

Mr Obama later telephoned her to congratulate her on the speech, one of several carefully-choreographed steps towards unity that had begun earlier in the day when Mrs Clinton was given a rapturous reception by delegates at an Emily's List event to celebrate Democratic women. She told them they have more work to do in "putting more cracks into that glass ceiling" - which has stopped women being elected president - so that "one day it will completely shatter".

But she also told them: "We need all those who knocked on doors and made phone calls or me and got into arguments from time to time to work as hard for Barack Obama as you worked for me."

Michelle Obama, speaking at the same event paid generous tribute to the "gracious and open" advice she had received from the former First Lady about preparing for the White House, as well as the inspiration her campaign had provided to women everywhere. They later chatted amicably, by all accounts, backstage.

Mrs Clinton had her own praise for Mrs Obama, suggesting with a sly reference to her controversial "3am" advert about who should take a crisis call in the White House, that "if the president is not exactly on our side, call the First Lady — and Michelle Obama will answer that phone".

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