Edwards endorses Obama White House bid

Former presidential candidate John Edwards has endorsed Barack Obama's Democratic White House bid.

Mr Edwards, the 2004 vice presidential nominee, had been heavily courted by both Mr Obama and rival Hillary Clinton.

"The reason I am here tonight is the Democratic voters in America have made their choice and so have I," said Mr Edwards, who dropped out of this year's Democratic race in January.

"There is one man who knows in his heart that it is time to create one America, not two, and that man is Barack Obama," he said.

Mr Edwards confirmed the long-awaited endorsement at a rally with Mr Obama in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

It has helped blunt the impact of Mrs Clinton's landslide 41-point win over Mr Obama in West Virginia on Tuesday.

That result barely put a dent in Mr Obama's lead in the Democratic race for the right to face Republican John McCain in November's presidential election.

Mr Obama has an almost unassailable advantage in delegates who will pick the nominee at the party's convention in August, and has turned his attention to a general election match-up with Mr McCain for the past week.

"I have no doubt that John Edwards can be extremely helpful to us campaigning in every demographic," said Mr Obama.

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