Democrats abroad pick delegates

Democrats Abroad based in Europe, Africa and the Middle East convened Saturday to pick their delegates to the Democratic national convention amid concerns about health care, economy and the war in Iraq.

About 140 foreign-based Democrats picked their regions' six delegates to the Aug. 25-28 convention in Denver, which will nominate the Democratic presidential candidate.

The Democrats Abroad held a global primary in February to award nine delegates to the candidates. The other three delegates will come from Asia and the Americas, and will be selected next month.

Also, five more delegates will be awarded at the Democrats Abroad global convention next month in Vancouver, for a total of 14. Each delegate from the Democrats Abroad will get a half vote at the party's national convention.

Sen. Barack Obama won the global primary, picking up six delegates. Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton won three.

Saturday's regional caucus was used to name four Obama delegates and two for Clinton.

Some 3,253 delegates chosen by the voters and nearly 800 "superdelegates" — elected officials and prominent party figures — will participate in the convention.

Concerns voiced at the regional caucus attended by Democrats from more than 30 countries mirrored in part the major issues of the national campaign, while also focusing on specific issues of particular concern to Americans living abroad, such as taxation or citizenship.

Clinton supporter Janice Thomson, who is from Chicago, said "health care was one of the reasons we moved to Europe" where it is much more accessible.

"In the U.S. if you lose your job you lose your health care. That's terrifying," she said.

In an amicable atmosphere, Clinton and Obama supporters disagreed about their respective preferred candidates' universal appeal to voters and chances against Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee-in-waiting.

"Obama has a better chance against McCain, in particular because he has energized (a) large part of the electorate, enjoys supports among the independents and has even appealed to many Republicans," said John-Paul Bernbach from New York, a manager working in Belgium.

Thomson cited what she viewed as Clinton's superior experience on issues like health care and her concern about "that whole conciliatory approach" by Obama as reasons for her support of Clinton.