Former U.S. President Bill Clinton made his campaign-trail debut on Monday (July 2) for wife Hillary Clinton, praising her ability and toughness and saying he would do all he could to help her win the White House. "I'd be here tonight, if she asked me, if we weren't married," he told an enthusiastic crowd of about 3,000 in Iowa, the state that kicks off the 2008 presidential race in less than seven months. "She is by a long stretch the best qualified non-incumbent I have ever had a chance to vote for for president," he said, noting 2008 would be his 40th year as a voter. The appearance at a rally on the Iowa state fairgrounds was the public campaign unveiling for the political power couple. Bill Clinton had limited his previous campaign help to behind-the-scenes advice and joint appearances at closed fund-raising events. He said her community organizing and anti-poverty and civil rights work before they were married, and her efforts to build schools and improve education in Arkansas when he was governor there, were signs of her ability and commitment. While the New York senator has led the Democratic presidential field in national opinion polls all year, she trails rival John Edwards in Iowa polls. She also was rocked on Sunday by news that top rival Barack Obama had raised more than $30 million in the second quarter for the Democratic primary battle -- about $10 million more than Clinton expects to report. The Clintons plan five more joint appearances across northern ...
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Added: May 9, 2008 |
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