By KOIN News 6 Political Analyst Jim Moore

Tuesday’s speech by Hillary Clinton did all it was supposed to do. She wholeheartedly endorsed Obama’s candidacy, she made the case for why her supporters should support Obama, and she cemented her place among the most powerful players in the Democratic party.

With expectations running high—would she truly deliver her support to Obama, or would a tepid performance signal a huge split in the Democratic party?—Clinton came before the convention. Her lead-in was one of those feel-good videos that have come to replace true introductions of major speakers. Then, a confident Hillary Clinton began speaking.

This was the most relaxed and the most powerful speech I have seen Clinton give. On the campaign trail her speeches tended to be wooden and formulaic, while she was excellent with small groups. On Tuesday, she interacted with the thousands in Denver as easily as if she were in a constituent’s living room.

Clinton’s main argument was simple. She got into the presidential race to solve problems. She ticked off several—dealing with the issues of single mothers, helping families relying on minimum wage jobs, providing more support for our soldiers and their families.

Then the rhetorical magic occurred. Clinton emphatically said that her issues were Obama’s issues, that they were in total agreement on what the problems were and how to solve them. To elect Barack Obama is to elect a person who will bring Clinton’s concerns to the center of the policymaking process in D.C.

And if that was not enough, Clinton then went straight to her supporters. She asked them if they had voted for Hillary Clinton the person, or if they had voted to deal with the issues of the mother, the family, the soldier? The implication was right out in the open—a vote for Obama is a vote for Democratic shared values; a vote for anybody else (i.e. John McCain) is a vote against those values.

Then, with some witty attacks on John McCain (he and Bush have identical policies, so it only makes sense that the Republican convention will be in the Twin Cities), references to the growing role of women in politics, and a call to bring the Democratic party into the White House, she was done.

Four years ago on this night of the convention, a young man from Illinois electrified the convention with the keynote address. That was Barack Obama’s introduction to the national Democratic party.

After Tuesday’s speech, Hillary Clinton took the first step toward sewing up the 2012 nomination, regardless of her electoral strength (which is considerable), if Obama does not win this fall.