Marching orders for N.Y. delegates

It’s always tempting to read between the lines when a Clinton talks about Barack Obama, but Hillary Rodham Clinton was unambiguous Monday when she made her first appearance in Denver at a breakfast for delegates from her home state of New York.

“We are gathered here in Denver for a very clear and simple purpose,” said Clinton, “and that is to come out of this convention energized and excited and ready to elect Barack Obama the next president of the United States.”

The crowd of New Yorkers stood to cheer her; a few delegates waved placards reading, “Hillary made history.”

“We were not all on the same side as Democrats,” she added, “but we are now. We are united and we are together and we are determined.”

There is plenty of evidence that the Democratic Party is not fully unified behind the Obama candidacy, as stories have trickled out about friction between Clinton and Obama supporters and enduring tension between the campaigns.

But Clinton, while giving her 10-minute chat, was a study in support.

She also alluded to the TV ads that John McCain has been running, with primary-season footage of Clinton criticizing Obama. “Let me state what I think about their tactics and these ads,” she said. “I’m Hillary Clinton, and I do not approve that message!”

-- Robin Abcarian