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Reviews are flooding in on President-elect Obama’s selections for his national security and foreign policy team but one in particular stuck out of the in-box – a statement from former President Bill Clinton, who was quick to laud the selection of his wife, Hillary Clinton, to be Secretary of State. Here’s the full text:

As an American, I am thankful that President-elect Barack Obama has asked Hillary to be Secretary of State and that she has accepted. As her husband, I am deeply proud.

She is the right person for the job of helping to restore America's image abroad, end the war in Iraq, advance peace and increase our security, by building a future for our children with more partners and fewer adversaries, one of shared responsibilities and opportunities.

She has already earned the respect of foreign leaders and diplomats through her work to promote human rights and the empowerment of women through access to education, healthcare and economic opportunity. And Americans know, from her leadership in the Senate on national security, that she will always put the security, values and the interests of our people first.

In her service to the people of New York and our nation, Hillary has demonstrated the knowledge, passion, resilience, and capacity to learn that our country needs at this critical time. She loves being a Senator from New York, but as she has in all the thirty-seven years I've known her, she answered the call to serve. I commend President-Elect Obama for asking her to be a part of a great national security team. America will be well-served.

Former President Bill Clinton will be making his first joint appearance of the campaign with Barack Obama in Orlando, Florida tonight. This afternoon, he and Hillary Clinton have sent out a get-out-the vote video on Obama’s behalf. Importantly, the video was not sent from the Obama campaign but to supporters of Hillary Clinton from her HillPac organization.

“We worked awfully hard in this election because you’ve got a lot at stake,” Bill Clinton begins. “It’s still important, it’s more important than ever,” he continues. “Boy, is that true,” Hillary continues, “and we’re asking everybody to get involved. Get out, do what you can, talk to your friends and your neighbors, make those phone calls, walk those streets – get the word out that this election is really important.” Bill Clinton: “Senator Obama and Senator Biden need your help November 4th.” Hillary Clinton: “So please everybody, get involved and don’t forget to register and don’t forget to vote November 4th.” Watch it:

CBS News has confirmed that Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have planned a joint appearance before Election Day. Politico first reported the news.

The former president, whose wife lost a hard-fought primary to Obama, has not always had kind words for the Democratic nominee.

At one point, he compared Obama's experience level to his own in 1988, when he decided not to run, because “I really didn’t think I knew enough, and had served enough and done enough to run.” He called Obama's candidacy a "fairytale" and compared it to that of Jesse Jackson, which was seen as a slight by Obama loyalists.

But Clinton, who, as Politico notes, "moved slowly toward a full-throated endorsement this summer," has since offered kind words for his wife's former rival.

"Barack Obama is ready to lead America and restore American leadership in the world. Ready to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States," Clinton said at the Democratic National Convention. "Barack Obama is ready to be President of the United States."

Details about the joint appearance on the stump – the first for the pair – have not yet emerged.

UPDATE: A Democratic source tells CBS News the joint appearance will be Wednesday night in Orlando, Florida, and that Hillary Clinton will not be present.

A dispatch from CBSNews.com political intern William Chin:

Former President Bill Clinton officially campaigned on Barack Obama's behalf for the first time today in Florida, the Associated Press reports. Clinton, who told the crowd "Hillary sent me," condemned Republican economic policies and issued an endorsement of Obama – though he did not mention the Democratic nominee's name until more than 5 minutes into his speech.

In front of a crowd of several thousand, Clinton talked about the nation's financial problems at length, praising Obama for his approach to the economic crisis. He also heaped high praise of Obama's running mate, Joe Biden, saying that no one in the Senate understands the economic and security challenges like Biden.

Clinton said Obama had asked him and other economic advisers for guidance.

The former president, who has been criticized for refusing to attack John McCain, told the crowd, "you don't have to say one bad word about Sen. Obama's opponent, you just have to tell them the truth." Clinton has professed admiration for McCain in the past, calling him a "great man." As the AP points out, Clinton has not said anything similar about Obama.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday showed Obama with a 51-43 lead over McCain among likely voters in Florida.

Barack Obama and Bill Clinton lunched in New York today and, according to a joint statement released by the spokesmen, “had a great conversation” about politics and “mostly” about “how the world has changed since September 11, 2001.”

The get-together was the first formal sit-down since Obama defeated Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination and comes two weeks after a convention that was rife with intrigue about the Clintons and their role in the fall campaign – not to mention the internal party divisions.

Today’s lunch was all smiles though, as the two appeared in front of reporters before disappearing behind closed doors. When asked what he thought of the state of the race, Clinton said he believes Obama will win "pretty handily" over McCain. “You can take it from the president of the United States,” Obama chimed in. “He knows a little something about politics." And, when asked what he would be doing for the fall campaign on behalf of the Democratic ticket, the former president said, “I've agreed to do a substantial number of things, whatever I'm asked to do."

Here’s the joint statement sent out: “President Clinton and Senator Obama had a great conversation in Harlem today. They discussed the campaign briefly, but mostly talked about how the world has changed since September 11, 2001. Sen. Obama praised the work of the Clinton Foundation around the world and President Clinton applauded Sen. Obama's historic campaign which has inspired millions around the country. They also spoke about what the next President can do to help make the economy work for all Americans, as it did under President Clinton, and ensure safety and prosperity far beyond the coming the election. President Clinton said he looks forward to campaigning for Senator Obama later this month.”

The Democratic National Convention Committee has announced the speakers for the third night of the Democratic National Convention, where the theme is "Securing America’s Future."

The headliner is the as-yet-unannounced vice presidential nominee. He or she will be joined by:

Former President Bill Clinton, who "will speak on Barack Obama’s commitment to a stronger and safer America, as well as the history of Democrats making positive change in the lives of all Americans."

Governor Bill Richardson and Senators Evan Bayh, Joe Biden and Jay Rockefeller, who "will echo Obama’s call for a new direction in national security and outline his policies and plans to secure America’s future."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who " will discuss Barack Obama’s plans to make America more secure by investing in smart energy policies."

Also scheduled to speak are Senator Ken Salazar, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, Representative Patrick Murphy and Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth.

Just because Biden, Bayh and Richardson are on this list does not mean they are out of contention to be Obama's running mate. The campaign says that if one of these men (or another convention speaker) were to get the nod, that person would simply have his or her time slot moved.

There has been much discussion of Bill Clinton's reported anger towards presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama. Clinton issued a tepid statement through a spokesman in support of Obama, prompting speculation that the former president would not soon get over the wounds of the long primary battle between Obama and his wife Hillary Clinton.

Prior to today, CBS News has learned, Obama has been trying to reach Clinton, but the former President had not been returning the presumptive Democratic nominee's calls.

Now comes word that Obama and Clinton are at least on speaking terms. The Illinois senator called the former President around 10 am this morning, during his drive from Kansas City to Independence, Missouri. Clinton took the call, and the two spoke for approximately 20 minutes.

“Senator Obama had a terrific conversation with President Clinton and is honored to have his support in this campaign," Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement. "He has always believed that Bill Clinton is one of this nation’s great leaders and most brilliant minds, and looks forward to seeing him on the campaign trail and receiving his counsel in the months to come."

Matt McKenna, Director of Communications for Clinton, also released a statement.

"President Clinton had a very good conversation with Senator Obama today," he said. "He renewed his offer to do whatever he can to ensure Senator Obama is our next President."

"President Clinton continues to be impressed by Senator Obama and the campaign he has run, and looks forward to campaigning for and with him in the months to come," added McKenna. "The President believes that Senator Obama has been a great inspiration for millions of people around the country, and he knows that he will bring the change America needs as our next President."

Former President Bill Clinton, the self-described “rural hitman” of his wife’s campaign, is stumping through small towns in Kentucky today in advance of tomorrow’s primary and he’s pressing the argument that the Democratic primary isn’t over yet. Clinton is looking for a West Virginia-style blowout. “If you get her a big victory,” he told voters there, “it'll be harder to continue with this fiction that the people in Florida and Michigan are invisible and therefore we should disenfranchise them.” According to the AP, Clinton added, “this has gotten downright funny here the last few days. … They told West Virginia that they should just shut up and get in line, don't bother voting. They had had a different idea over there." Both Clintons are scouring the state for votes in the run up to tomorrow’s primary.

In a fund-raising appeal sent out under his name today, Bill Clinton shares (at least a bit of) the advice he says he’s been giving his wife as the Pennsylvania primary nears¨ “Block out the distractions -- the skeptics, the media coverage, the beltway chatter -- and keep your eyes on the prize,” he writes. More Bill: “With the news media constantly poring over the minutiae of the campaign, I make sure Hillary never forgets to stay focused on what matters: telling every last American about her vision, her experience, and her commitment to bringing real change to people's lives. Let the press worry about the shifting polls and the daily back-and-forth. As long as Hillary stands up for the values we share -- and as long as you stand up for her -- she's going to win this race.” Clinton asks for contributions of $5 to help the campaign “win” Pennsylvania.

Bill Clinton – you can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him. That’s a phrase that once was used to describe the task of defending prolific athletes at the peak of their game. But it’s more applicable to the Clinton campaign itself these days.

The former president has already gotten himself and his candidate into trouble in this campaign. See: his comments in South Carolina – equating Barack Obama’s position on Iraq (if not the candidate himself) to a “dream;” shrugging off Hillary Clinton’s loss in South Carolina by dismissively reminding reporters that Jesse Jackson also won there and getting into a red-faced argument with a journalist in New Mexico.

When the fallout from those incidents began to hit critical mass, the campaign sent him off to campaign purgatory, using his often immense political talents to travel the hamlets and back roads of mega-states like Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania and Ohio and any other out-of-the-spotlight locations they could find. Clinton even declared himself the campaign’s “rural hitman.”

The strategy appeared to be working. The former president stayed out of trouble while tirelessly evangelizing for his wife, giving people whose last glimpse at any president was 30 years ago, if ever, a chance to feel part of the big show. It was all going to plan – until last night.

Stumping in Indiana yesterday, Bill Clinton decided to once again visit an issue which the Clinton campaign thought they may have put behind them – the candidate’s discredited claim that she came under sniper fire while visiting Bosnia as First Lady. Not once, but twice, the former president brought the issue up all on his own.

Here’s what Clinton said in Booneville, Indiana: "A lot of the way this whole campaign has been covered has amused me. But there was a lot of fulminating because Hillary, one time late at night when she was exhausted, misstated and immediately apologized for it, what happened to her in Bosnia in 1995. Did y'all see all that? Oh, they blew it up."

"Let me just tell you," he continued, "the president of Bosnia and General Wesley Clark -- who was there making peace where we'd lost three peacekeepers who had to ride on a dangerous mountain road because it was too dangerous to go the regular, safe way -- both defended her because they pointed out that when her plane landed in Bosnia, she had to go up to the bulletproof part of the plane, in the front. Everybody else had to put their flak jackets underneath the seat in case they got shot at. And everywhere they went they were covered by Apache helicopters. So they just abbreviated the arrival ceremony.”

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