Hillary Clinton brings in big gun: Bill
Wednesday, 4 July 2007
DES MOINES, Iowa, July 3 (AFP): With her nearest rival gaining momentum in the 2008 US presidential race, Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton brought in her biggest weapon yet in her race for the presidency: her husband Bill.
The charismatic former president's first campaign swing with his wife opened Monday with a folksy speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds where he urged the party faithful to vote for Hillary because she is both the best qualified and the most responsible candidate for the Democratic nomination.
"You will never have anybody in the White House who cares more about how every decision she makes and every problem she faces affects you and the people you know and care about," Bill Clinton said from a stage surrounded by flag-lined hay bales.
"I'd be here tonight -- if she asked me -- if we weren't married."
Hillary thanked him for the uncharacteristically brief speech by saying "I'm awfully glad to have my husband here," and went on to list his achievements and everything that the country has lost since he left office in January 2001, succeeded by George W. Bush.
"After two terms of the Bush administration and their cronyism and their incompetence we're going to have a lot of cleaning up to do," Hillary told the cheering crowd.
"I will work my heart out and I will have some good help along the way," she said, pointing to her husband.
"We will be proud to be American again."
While Bill Clinton's scandal-laced 1993-2001 presidency continues to draw the ire of Republicans, contributing to Hillary's high "unfavorable" ratings in national polls, he remains widely popular among the Democratic party faithful who decide the primary elections.
The charismatic former president's first campaign swing with his wife opened Monday with a folksy speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds where he urged the party faithful to vote for Hillary because she is both the best qualified and the most responsible candidate for the Democratic nomination.
"You will never have anybody in the White House who cares more about how every decision she makes and every problem she faces affects you and the people you know and care about," Bill Clinton said from a stage surrounded by flag-lined hay bales.
"I'd be here tonight -- if she asked me -- if we weren't married."
Hillary thanked him for the uncharacteristically brief speech by saying "I'm awfully glad to have my husband here," and went on to list his achievements and everything that the country has lost since he left office in January 2001, succeeded by George W. Bush.
"After two terms of the Bush administration and their cronyism and their incompetence we're going to have a lot of cleaning up to do," Hillary told the cheering crowd.
"I will work my heart out and I will have some good help along the way," she said, pointing to her husband.
"We will be proud to be American again."
While Bill Clinton's scandal-laced 1993-2001 presidency continues to draw the ire of Republicans, contributing to Hillary's high "unfavorable" ratings in national polls, he remains widely popular among the Democratic party faithful who decide the primary elections.