Nutter Pledges Support For Obama

With U.S. Sen. Barack Obama clinching the Democratic nomination, Mayor Nutter vowed yesterday to "be working hard every day to do anything that I can to be supportive of his candidacy to make sure he's the next president of the United States."  Nutter, who met with Obama and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton last December, came away supporting Clinton. He played a high-profile role for her in their battle for the April primary in Pennsylvania.

Nutter, speaking on MSNBC the day before that primary, said he had spoken with Obama and Clinton about public safety, education, poverty and other issues. "And after going through that process and that analysis, talking with both, listening to their answers, looking at their backgrounds and history, it was very clear, and it was really not a tough choice to support Sen. Clinton," Nutter said then.

Nutter yesterday said he expects to speak with Obama at some point about the general election. But he declined to offer any advice on whether Obama should pick Clinton for his ticket as vice president. And Nutter dismissed a question about whether his support for Clinton means he needs to make amends with Obama.  "We'll have a conversation, I'm sure. But it's not like we're at odds," Nutter said, adding that he often speaks with the four Democrats he defeated in last year's mayoral primary. "We're professionals. This is our business. This is what we do."