The vote, by both AFSCME\'s 10-person presidential nominating board and by its executive council was not unanimous, but it was overwhelming: 7-3 on the board to forward just Clinton\'s name to the council and 72 percent for Clinton on the council, President Gerald McEntee said. Though no other candidates\' names were put forward, he said delegates from Georgia, Hawaii and Illinois backed Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

Before the votes, AFSCME made at least 500,000 calls to members to discuss politics, and received responses to its presidential poll from 45,000, McEntee said. They too. "overwhelmingly thought Clinton would be the best candidate and president."

Clinton warmly welcomed the endorsement from the 1.4-million member union, especially when McEntee promised to mobilize AFSCME members in Iowa and try to turn out as many of its 30,000 unionists there as possible for the first-in-the-nation caucuses on Jan. 3. The last Iowa caucuses, in 2004, drew around 120,000 people.

"When it comes to fighting for America\'s working families, I\'ll go 10 rounds with anybody," Clinton declared, referring to both the other Democrats seeking the nomination and to the Republicans. "This endorsement means the world to me."

AFSCME joins the Machinists, the Teachers and several smaller unions, in backing Clinton. Obama has no international AFL-CIO unions, though McEntee reported an independent union of correctional officers in New York endorsed him.

Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., who drew small and scattered support from AFSCME members and none in the union\'s council, is backed by the Steel Workers, the Mine Workers and the Carpenters. The Fire Fighters back Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn.

AFSCME considered all seven Democratic hopefuls, but no Republicans, as none returned the union\'s questionnaire or participated in debates it sponsored.

In accepting AFSCME\'s nod, Clinton praised the "incredible work" of the union\'s members and promised that "together we will make a great partnership not only to win this election, and then to do the work this country needs" and "take our country back."

She also reiterated her themes of the "invisible Americans" to the Bush government, and pledged to toil for them. "If you work full-time and don\'t have health insurance, you\'re invisible. If you\'re a single mother without child care, you\'re invisible. If you want to change your lot in life and want to organize and have an employer that intimidates and harasses you and a federal government that doesn\'t enforce the law, you\'re invisible," she said.

Clinton vowed to restore "America\'s leadership around the world," not just by ending the Iraq war but also by taking care of service members when they return and by sending envoys worldwide--after her election but before the inauguration in 2009--to say that "the era of cowboy diplomacy is over."

Another big theme was "rebuilding the middle class." That includes "quality affordable health care for everyone" and passage of the labor-backed Employee Free Choice Act, the measure the Senate GOP filibuster blocked, to help level the playing field between workers and bosses in union organizing and contract bargaining.

"We\'ll have the biggest signing ceremony you\'ve ever seen on the White House lawn" for the Employee Free Choice Act "and you\'re all invited!" she stated, to cheers.

Other pledges included ending no-bid contracts and cutting "500,000 private contracting jobs" in the federal government Bush armed out to companies. "There\'s no evidence they\'re saving us money or doing the job they\'re being paid to do. There are now more contractors than civilian and military employees combined," she said.

The latest jobs data shows the federal government employs 1.95 million people, not counting the Postal Service, a figure that has changed little for at least a year.

McEntee promised a huge AFSCME effort in the next election cycle. The union said the board calls for mobilizing 40,000 volunteers next year and spending $60 million on politics, both double what it spent in 2006.

"Clinton inspires our members. She sparks the flame we need to win. She\'ll motivate our members to knock on more doors, make more phone calls and talk to more co-workers than ever before," he said. As for Bush, McEntee said "King George and his allies have abandoned the middle class, cut taxes for the very wealthy and neglected the vital public services America needs to prosper and endure.

"They\'ve given us a mismanaged war with no end in Iraq, and incompetence and neglect in New Orleans. Our president -- well, not mine -- has vetoed expanding health care for children at the same time he\'s found billions in tax cuts for the super-rich."

Mark Gruenberg writes for Press Associates, Inc., news service. Used by permission.

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