Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner and her strongest rival, Senator Barack Obama, who trails her by eight percentage points in the latest polls -- although he has raised much more money -- who are both aggressively wooing the Indian-American community for their votes and financial contributions, have issued glowing messages on India's 60th anniversary of its independence.

Clinton said, "Today, I am delighted to join millions of Americans who trace their roots to India in celebrating the 60th anniversary of India's birth as an independent nation."

"India, as the most populous democracy in the world, has much in common with the United States, the oldest continuing democracy in the world. We share many values and similar challenges," she said.

"Whenever I have visited India, I have been impressed by the hospitality of her people and the gracious welcome accorded to me by her government," Clinton added.

She said that as "the co-chair of the Friends of India Caucus in the Senate, I have been privileged to work with many in the Indian-American community," and pointed out that "today, we find Indian-Americans in all walks of life."

"They care for our sick, educate our youth, manage our corporations, and support our local communities and national economy with their small businesses and entrepreneurial spirit," Clinton added.

"Indian-Americans have the highest median household income of any ethnic group in the United States," Clinton pointed out and that "over one-third of its adult population has earned an advanced degree."

"They are truly striving for and living the American dream," she said, and spoke of how Indian-Americans "embody the work ethic, family values, and commitment to education that have made America a stronger and better nation."

Clinton pledged that she is "committed to working with Indian-Americans and the larger Asian-American and Pacific Islander community to promote policies that help to meet the community's underserved needs and that also recognize the valuable contributions that they make to their communities and to the nation."

She reiterated that she applauds "the achievements of the Indian-Americans and commends them for their deep commitment to their families, local communities, and our nation."

Obama, not to be outdone, in a missive to the Indian-American community, said, "I appreciate the opportunity to congratulate you on this milestone," of India's 60th anniversary of its independence, "because America's relationship with India is one of the most important, valuable, mutually beneficial relationships we have in an uncertain world."

Thus, he said that "it is only natural that the world's oldest and the world's largest constitutional democracies should enjoy warm relations."

Obama said that he strongly supported "strengthening America's relations with India because we share many common goals and interests," and ticked them off by noting that "America is India's largest trading and investment partner, both countries value the rule of law and cultural pluralism, and both are united in the fight to protect their values, their people and their way of life from terrorism and other threats."

"That's why I support joint initiatives in fields from military cooperation to public health to energy and technology," he added.

Then like Clinton, Obama was quick to enumerate the contributions of the Indian-American community, arguing that "none of these accomplishments would happen without the active involvement of Indian-Americans."

He said that "wherever they have settled around the country, Indian-Americans have been strong contributors to their local communities," and heaped praise for their "balancing love of the homeland with a strong commitment to America."

Obama said that in this regard, "Indian-Americans have put their knowledge, skills, and entrepreneurial spirit to work for the betterment of both countries," and spoke of how "their efforts have played a significant role in bringing the two countries closer and creating a blueprint for positive bilateral relations in the 21st century."

Obama told the Indian-American community that "the events you are celebrating are especially relevant today, because the ideas of liberalism and representative democracy that powered the American Revolution and inspired Mahatma Gandhi [Images] to free a great people did not stop 60 years ago."

"Gandhi's victory in turn inspired a generation of young Americans to peacefully wipe out a system of overt oppression that had endured for a century, and more recently led to velvet revolutions in Eastern Europe and extinguished apartheid in South Africa," he said.

Obama said he believed "deeply that peaceful organizing to bring about popular rule will continue to be a potent tool to free oppressed people in those last countries on this planet where the light of freedom does not yet shine."

"This enduring legacy is one of the great gifts of India's revolution, and I join you in celebrating it," he declared.