Opinion: Hillary Clinton’s statement on releasing her delegates

We’ve been cooperating and discussing how to have a unified convetion with the [Barack] Obama campaign and I think we’re off to a real good start, don’t you? Now, it is traditional and we’ve tried to really bring the traditions of the Democratic Party to this convention. Because it is traditional that we have nominations, that we have a roll call ... As part of that tradition, I am here today to release you as my delegates. Now, let me say what that means. What that means is that both Sen. Obama’s name and mine will be put into nomination this afternoon, and I have spoken to many of you who have expressed your questions about what you should do. Now, many of you feel a responsibility to represent the voters in the states who sent you here. And others of you after this long journey we’ve been on want the chance to vote what’s in your heart. Still others will be voting for Sen. Obama because they want to demonstrate their personal commitment to unity of this party behind our nominee. So I am not telling you what to do. Because you come here from so many different places, having made this journey and feeling in your heart what is right for you to do. Now, I signed my ballot this morning for Sen. Obama. But a lot of other people who are signing their ballots have made a different choice. What is so important is that at the end of today, we will nominate Barack Obama and Joe Biden for the president and vice president of the United States.