The spirited and inspiring Democratic presidential nominating campaign that excited tens of millions of Americans is over - 16 months, 36 million votes and 54 primaries and caucuses later. From that contest sprang two extraordinary leaders who have become the stars of our party. There may be some residual bitterness among supporters on both sides, but there's no question the wounds will heal, and the Democratic Party will enter this election season stronger than it has been in recent years.

I am so proud of Hillary Clinton. She has shown a toughness and tenacity that won over even her harshest critics. She worked hard and diligently for every single vote, speaking masterfully to the economic, educational and health care concerns of working-class America.

Barack Obama, too, inspired a movement, bringing legions of new, youthful and previously disillusioned voters into the process and generating excitement unlike anything seen before in American politics. He has the winds of history in his sails, and as an African-American, I am thrilled to call him our nominee.

There were an astounding 36 million Democratic ballots cast these past five months, compared with about 16 million in the 2004 primary. It's an increase unseen in American history. It's only natural that after such a grueling campaign - which brought forth so much personal emotion - some hard feelings would linger for a while.

But these rifts were rarely over substance. Instead, they emerged over details and style, magnified by the intensity of the lengthy contest. Now, with the primaries behind us, Democrats will turn their attention to a unified battle for the presidency. In the primaries, there were two powerful and very capable messengers, but the essence of the message was always the same.

On the issue of Iraq, it was never a question of whether we would leave, but how. With a death toll exceeding 4,000 servicemen and women, and tens of thousands being asked to serve their fourth, fifth - sometimes sixth - tours of duty, we Democrats agree that this war has got to end.

On securing universal health care, we debated the details but never disagreed over the need for an aggressive new approach. On Social Security and fiscal responsibility, we Democrats refuse to shred the critical safety net for seniors, or to saddle future generations of young people with mounting debt. We are in lockstep on our responsibility to educate our children for the competition in the global economy. We agree that incarcerating 2.3 million Americans is a wrongful waste of our nation's most valuable asset, our young people.

As chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, I will join with party leaders in looking for ways to work with our new President to give American companies a fair advantage in trade while growing and protecting jobs at home. We'll have a tax system that helps the middle class and refuses to lavish tax breaks on the wealthiest 1%, who haven't asked for it.

It seems to me that by focusing on a singular vision, the party will naturally come together again. As Democrats, all we have to do now is mobilize and move forward, using the same successful message to draw Clinton's voters to Obama's side and help him make gains demographically and geographically where he may not have been as strong. The stakes are too high to not rally with one voice.

This is not only the most exciting, but the most important election in American history. The entire world watched in awe as a dynamic woman, the wife of a former President, and a black man, the son of an African and a white woman, faced off for the historic opportunity to represent their party in a bid to lead the country.

Now that one of them, Sen. Obama, has been nominated, I have no doubts at all that he and Sen. Clinton will merge their individual strengths and rally their supporters to complete America's greatest historical drama.

This OP-Ed was originally published by the New York Daily News on Tuesday, June 10, 2008.

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