It was raining, heavily at times, as my family and I made the 1 1/2 hr. drive to John Hardin High School in Elizabethtown, KY, to hear Bill Clinton speak on behalf of his wife, Hillary. During the drive, I thought about all the ups and downs of this campaign, the array of forces aligned against Hillary, where the race is now, and Hillary’s remarkable determination through it all. Any worries I had about Kentuckians’ enthusiasm for Hillary, because of the media’s continual reporting of her purported demise, were immediately dispelled upon entering the gymnasium. A lively crowd of about 1000 waited for Bill, for what would be another 1 1/2 hrs. During that time, I had the opportunity to mill around, talk to people, and take some photos. The overwhelming majority of those I spoke with felt that Hillary has a shot at this, and that Kentucky can make a difference. They want to be heard! I also had the chance to talk a little with Colonel Mike Weaver (Ret.), who is running for his old state rep seat. I had met Mike in ‘06, when I went to hear General Clark campaign for him in Frankfort, KY, when Mike was running for congress, a bid that, unfortunately, fell short. Fond memories of that sunny day flooded my mind; I can still see General Clark, while strolling through the crowd after his speech, walking up to me and my daughter Justine, saying, "Hi, I’m Wes Clark.” We had a little chat, I mentioned that I was reading The Weather Makers at his recommendation, and I pointed to my Clark ‘04 pin and said I hoped to be able to wear another one of those, whereupon Wes looked pensive and said, ‘Well, we’ll see what happens." He talked to Justine a little about school and I got a good photo of them together. What a time. Well, back to the present.

Mike Weaver gave a very brief introduction to President Clinton, and when Bill walked out, the place absolutely erupted in applause. Bill spoke for an hour, making his case for why Hillary would be the best candidate and the best president. But before he proceeded to make his case to the people, he talked about how he thought he knew Hillary well, yet he has learned something new about her as she has waged her campaign. His admiration was apparent. He spoke of the almost constant effort, that began right after Iowa, by the media and others to shut down Hillary’s campaign, and how always “people like you in places like this” pulled her through. “Kentucky counts,” Bill emphasized, to thunderous applause.

Bill presented his case for Hillary by talking about her abilities in three major areas: the job of Commander-in-Chief, the economy, and being a change-maker. He prefaced his case by stating some general principles. The President said, first of all, we can’t have one set of rules for the US and another set of rules for the rest of the world, giving two examples: our efforts in seeking two new kinds of nuclear weapons while telling others they can’t have one, and our policy toward torture, i.e., not wanting our forces subject to it, yet wanting to reserve the right to practice it ourselves. Since the world is now so interconnected, he also mentioned that we can’t solve big problems on our own, giving the efforts to halt global warming and to curb terrorism as examples.

In terms of being Commander-in-Chief, Bill expounded upon Hillary’s Iraq policy, why it is what it is, and why he feels it will best bring about a responsible end to US combat operations, again to loud applause. I should mention that this community’s proximity to Fort Knox makes it particularly sensitive to military matters. He then talked in detail about Hillary’s history of work on veterans’ behalf, and the good reasons why all the retired flag officers have endorsed Hillary.

Regarding the economy, Bill said that he wanted to review the 90’s a bit, not to go back in time, but to draw some lessons about what works, so we can apply these to fixing the current situation.He mentioned how median real income has decreased 1K since he left office, while the cost of everything else has gone up a lot. Following this, he gave a detailed exposition of the mortgage crisis and explained how Hillary would fix it, and also energy policy and how to get it on the right track. To lots of laughter, he said that energy policy work around the world is what he does “when I’m not a full-time campaign volunteer. “ Health care, of course, also received a detailed explanation. When Bill asked members of the audience to raise their hands if they knew someone without health insurance, vitually every hand in the place shot up! He said if he asked that question of an audience in Europe or Canada, no one would raise their hand. He followed with an assessment of the problem and explained how mandatory coverage is essential to solving the problem. More detailed analysis of education and how education relates to the economy followed, with the educators, including the school principal, all knowingly noddind their heads.

Bill concluded by explaining how Hillary is a change-maker, drawing on many examples of her long work history. He talked about what it takes to transform a speech into sound policy and then action, and how Hillary has demonstrated this ability, time and again, using the special education law as an example. He then told a story about being on a golf course in New York and a caddy approaching him, saying that he wasn’t really a caddy, and that he wanted to talk to him. The man was a captain in the NYPD, working out on the golf course to supplement his salary. He told Bill how most of the police had always been Republicans because they felt that the Republicans understood their issues and interests, and understood crime and public safety. Describing how 9/11 shook all those beliefs, he said he didn’t know about politics anymore and didn’t think in terms of Republicans and Democrats. But he said he knew one thing, that the senator from New York, Bill’s wife, was the one who, from the beginning, recognized the problems that the first responders might encounter, and how she had worked tirelessly to see that they were taken care of. She had won his respect, admiration, and support.

President Clinton’s talk was his third in a long day, yet he seemed fresh and full of energy. He was continually interrupted by loud applause and cheering. It was my first time hearing him live, and I was extremely impressed by his mastery of detail, and his ability to explain complex subjects in simple, down-to-earth terms, without sacrificing substance. He is a powerful advocate for his wife. He exhorted the crowd to add to Hillary’s popular vote total, and, if this crowd was any indicator, Hillary will do extremely well in Kentucky.

Afterwards, my kids and I did manage to get handshakes from President Clinton and listen to snippets of conversation as he worked the line. He’s truly a people person! Another bonus was getting Bill Clinton’s signature on my copy of General Clark’s A Time To Lead!

P.S. I did say to President Clinton, "Take it to the convention if you have to!" Amid all the voices and outstretched arms, I thought I caught a knowing glance.