WASHINGTON (Agencies) -- Former U.S. President George H. W. Bush Monday endorsed John McCain to be the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, Xinhua reported.

""As someone who also helped lead our great party at the RNC (Republican National Committee) and later as president, I believe now is the right time for me to help John in his effort to start building the broad-based coalition it'll take for our values to carry the White House this fall,"" the 41st U.S. president told a televised news conference held in Houston, Texas.
He said ""no one is better prepared to lead our nation at these trying times than (Arizona) Senator John McCain,"" and he was happy to help ""this remarkable patriot carry our party's banner forward.""
Standing side by side with elder Bush, McCain expressed his gratitude for the former president's support, saying the effort to continue to unite the Republican party ""will be enhanced dramatically by President Bush's words.""
The elder Bush has been neutral for the entire campaign, but he might once have preferred former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who dropped out of the race after his defeat in Super Tuesday primaries on Feb. 5, the Washington Post quoted the source as saying.
The former president's endorsement was another boost to McCain's efforts to unite the Republican Party and pressure on former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, McCain's remaining challenger, to drop out of the race.
Hillary Clinton is trailing Barack Obama 1,235 to 1,302 delegates after he won eight straight primaries and caucuses since the Super Tuesday slew of votes failed to give either candidate a decisive lead, AFP reported.
At least 2,025 delegates are needed to win the Democratic nomination.
""Obviously we're doing the best we can to do the best we can,"" her communications director, Howard Wolfson, told reporters.
""We feel very good about Ohio and Texas which are the next big contests.""
But asked about the importance of Tuesday's primary, Wolfson said: ""I do not subscribe to the momentum theory of American politics. ... Voters assess candidates based on who they think will be the best candidate.""
With blue-collar workers considered a key voting bloc in Wisconsin, Clinton unveiled a 13-page ""economic blueprint"" to create new jobs, end the housing crisis and revive the manufacturing sector.
""We have a lot of work to do to take back our country because our economy is not working the way it needs to,"" she told supporters at a town-hall-type meeting in De Pere, Wisconsin.
""You know, there's a difference between speeches and solutions, between talk and action,"" said Clinton at a crowded labor hall in Wausau, Wisconsin.
""I was raised to believe that actions speak louder than words and what we need now is a president who will get in there, roll up our sleeves and get to work for you.""
Obama insisted that the country needs an inspirational leader to overcome a host of problems.
""I make no apologies for getting people excited about their government because I believe government can work,"" he told a rally in hard-hit Ohio.