Hillary Unveils Her Biggest Ally In Iowa

By CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs.

Presidential candidates are nearly as hard to miss as American flags in Iowa this week and the biggest fireworks are being delivered by New York Senator Hillary Clinton and her biggest political ally -- her husband. For the first time in the 2008 presidential campaign, former President Bill Clinton appeared at a rally alongside his spouse Monday night.

The sight of a former two-term president actively participating in his party's presidential primary is historic in its own right but the campaign left no doubt as to who is getting top billing this time around.

It was the Hillary and Bill show at the Iowa state fairgrounds, something that Mr. Clinton pointed out right away by drawing attention to some of the signs in the crowd, saying, "There's one guy in the back over there that represents a group I belong to - it says 'Husbands for Hillary.'"

Bill Clinton's role, as advertised in advance by campaign aides, was to tout his wife's life story and years of involvement in public service.

In keeping with the slogan of this week's Iowa tour, "Ready for change, ready to lead," the former president emphasized the quality that the Clinton campaign repeats like a mantra – experience. Announcing he is entering into his 40th year of voting eligibility, Mr. Clinton proclaimed his wife "the best qualified non-incumbent I have ever had a chance to vote for president."

It was a not-so-subtle barb aimed directly at the Democrat emerging as the greatest threat to Clinton's nomination: Barack Obama. The first term Illinois senator's campaign surprised many this week by announcing they had outpaced Clinton by nearly $10 million in primary contributions in the second three months of this year.

Obama took in $31 million that can be used in next year's primary contests, compared to $21 million collected by the Clinton campaign. The New York Senator raised about $5 million more that cannot be spent before a general election campaign.

The former president took pains to avoid criticism of his wife's primary opponents, telling the large crowd that "as a Democrat, I love this election, because I don't have to be against anybody. I like the other people running for the nomination."

But he left no doubt as to which candidate he feels is the right person for the job. Mr. Clinton, famous for his stem-winding abilities on the trail, also kept his remarks brief, and quickly sat down to listen to the candidate.

Hillary Clinton returned to the theme of experience after touching on the issues atop the Democratic agenda – universal health care, energy policy, education and the war in Iraq. While acknowledging her pride in being the most credible woman ever to seek the nation's highest office, Clinton insisted, "I am not running as a woman, I am running because I believe I am the best qualified and experienced person."

Iraq, and Clinton's past support for the war, has been a thorn in the campaign's side, particularly in Iowa where party activists have long opposed it. Former North Carolina senator John Edwards, who finished second in the 2004 Iowa caucuses, has made his opposition to the war a central issue in his campaign and has led in most polls taken in the state.

Clinton has moved toward her party's base in calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, but her refusal to apologize for her vote to authorize the war in 2002 has left some activists questioning her commitment to ending it.

One self-proclaimed caucus participant in attendance, Ed Henderson, said he believes Clinton's opposition to the war is genuine but added that remains angry at her support of Democratic senator Joe Lieberman against anti-war candidate Ned Lamont in Connecticut last year.

Clinton supported Lieberman until he lost the Democratic primary. Clinton then supported Lamont in the general election, but Lieberman won re-election as an independent. "I hold that against her deeply," Henderson said of her early backing of Lieberman.

Still, Tuesday night's event before several thousand Iowa Democrats under a summer evening sky at the state's fairgrounds left many in attendance singing Clinton's praises.

Sharon Hawk, who attended her first caucus in 2004 on behalf of Edwards, said she was impressed with what she heard and echoed the campaign's theme, saying, "I think she's got the experience to actually get things done." But for the moment, Hawk said she remained undecided as to who she will support this time around.

Clinton did pick up one endorsement Monday night, that of Ruth Harkin, wife of Democratic Senator, who remains neutral in the race. Mrs. Harkin, who served in the Clinton administration during the 1990s, fills out a list of high-level Democrats in Iowa who have come aboard the campaign. After briefly running for president himself, former Governor Tom Vilsack and his wife Christie Vilsack endorsed Clinton earlier this year.

Monday's rally had all the trappings of a general election campaign. Iowans are more accustomed to smaller, intimate gatherings at this point in the process. Republican Mitt Romney, for example, is also stumping in the state and he met with about 75 activists in Jefferson for an "Ask Mitt Anything" conversation. The large crowd attending the Clinton event was treated to an elaborate stage of hay bales, American flags and even a fireworks show at the conclusion.

Other Democratic candidates who are barnstorming Iowa this week include Obama and senators Chris Dodd and Joe Biden. Kansas Senator Sam Brownback and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee fill out the Republican roster. The Clintons will campaign together in the state through July 4th and Mrs. Clinton promised she would be back in Iowa for the state fair in August.

Last month, a leaked memo from Clinton's deputy campaign manager raised the possibility of skipping the Iowa caucuses in favor of the New Hampshire primary and the glut of states holding contests on or before February 5th of next year.

That the campaign decided to make Iowa the location for Mr. Clinton's initial foray onto the stump signals that the state is almost certain to see a lot more of both Clintons before January's caucuses.
By Vaughn Ververs