(CNN) - Former President Bill Clinton released a statement Thursday that calls for the passage of health care reform. Last month the former president met behind closed doors with Senate Democrats, to urge them to come to agreement on a health care bill. Clinton pushed for, but failed to win, major health care reform during his first term in the White House.

Statement from President Bill Clinton on Health Care Reform
December 17, 2009

New York, NY – "America stands at a historic crossroads. At last, we are close to making real health insurance reform a reality. We face one critical, final choice, between action and inaction. We know where the path of inaction leads to: more uninsured Americans, more families struggling to keep up with skyrocketing premiums, higher federal budget deficits, and health costs so much higher than any other country's they will cripple us economically.

Our only responsible choice is the path of action. Does this bill read exactly how I would write it? No. Does it contain everything everyone wants? Of course not. But America can't afford to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
And this is a good bill: it increases the security of those who already have insurance and gives every American access to affordable coverage; and contains comprehensive efforts to control costs and improve quality, with more information on best practices, and comparative costs and results. The bill will shift the power away from the insurance companies and into the hands of consumers.
Take it from someone who knows: these chances don't come around every day. Allowing this effort to fall short now would be a colossal blunder - both politically for our party and, far more important, for the physical, fiscal, and economic health of our country."

Washington (CNN)– Former President Bill Clinton is lending a helping hand to Sen. Blanche Lincoln's re-election campaign in a fundraising e-mail sent out Thursday.

Clinton, who was governor of Arkansas for 12 of the 14 years prior to winning the White House, asked Lincoln's supporters stand beside her in her "tough fight" for re-election by donating to her campaign.

In the e-mail, Clinton also recalled how Lincoln fought for Arkansas when he was president.

"I remember all those times when I was in office and Blanche came to me with her 'to-do list' for Arkansas," He wrote. "...And most of those times, Blanche got what she asked for."

Lincoln, who is the first female Chair of the Senate Agricultural Committee, is seeking re-election to a third term.

According to the Secret Service, there have been more threats made against President Obama than there were against former Presidents George W. Bush or Bill Clinton at this stage in their presidencies.

Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama is not facing more threats to his life or security than the previous two presidents, according to the Secret Service.

At a hearing Thursday, Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan said "the threats right now in the inappropriate interest that we are seeing is the same level as it has been for the previous two presidents at this point."

Sullivan rejected a figure in a recently published book by Ronald Kessler, "In the President's Secret Service." Kessler says the threat has increased 400 percent since Obama, the nation's first African-American president, took office.

In October, Kessler told CNN he stands by the figure even though a law enforcement source had told CNN it's false.

"There is about 3,000 threats a year under President Bush and now there are about 12,000. Of course, most of them are not credible, but they all have to be checked out," Kessler told CNN's "The Situation Room" in an interview with Wolf Blitzer in October.

He said he got the figure "originally from another agency, but I went over it with the Secret Service."

Sullivan, at a Congressional hearing about how a couple allegedly crashed a state dinner, brought up the 400 percent figure and rejected it, adding that he is "not sure where that number came from."

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, in an interview with CNN earlier this week, also said he was told the presidential threat level has not gone up under Obama.

Two sources tell CNN that the idea for having former President Bill Clinton talk with Democratic senators about health care came from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Washington (CNN) – Two sources tell CNN that the idea for having former President Bill Clinton talk with Democratic senators about health care came from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. A senior administration official says Reid asked Clinton to do it, and the White House had a role in helping to arrange it.

On Capitol Hill, a senior Democratic leadership aide confirms to CNN that Reid invited the former president after discussing the idea with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who worked in the Clinton White House. The leadership aide says Clinton is expected to discuss "what's at stake - the historic moment" and to call on Democrats to "finish the job."

Clinton will address Senate Democrats Tuesday.

Washington (CNN) - Two senior Democratic sources that former president Bill Clinton will attend the Senate Democrats' weekly luncheon Tuesday to address the caucus on health care.

"All Senators should be aware that former President Clinton will be making a presentation on Health Care at tomorrow's caucus lunch," said a notice sent to all Senate Democrats. "Senator Reid has requested that all Democratic Senators attend."

Democratic leaders have consistently cited what they call a lesson of the Clinton administration: fail to pass health care, and congressional Democrats will suffer on Election Day.

Full story

A joint event featuring both former president has been cancelled.

Washington (CNN) - A representative for former President Bill Clinton is confirming a report that a scheduled event featuring Clinton and former President George W. Bush has been cancelled by the two ex-presidents.

Radio City Music Hall had announced that the two former presidents were set to share the legendary venue's stage on February 25.

But the New York Post reported on Wednesday afternoon that Bush and Clinton have cancelled the event because the promoter had "overhyped" the joint appearance.

In an e-mail to CNN, Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna confirmed the New York Post's report.

Earlier, McKenna had stressed that the New York event would not be a heated debate.

"Just a moderated conversation...no fireworks," he said.

Earlier: Bush, Clinton to appear at Radio City Music Hall

–CNN's Alexander Mooney and Kay Jones contributed to this report.

A joint event featuring both former president has been cancelled.

Washington (CNN) - A representative for former President Bill Clinton is confirming a report that a scheduled event featuring Clinton and former President George W. Bush has been cancelled by the two ex-presidents.

Radio City Music Hall had announced that the two former presidents were set to share the legendary venue's stage on February 25.

But the New York Post reported on Wednesday afternoon that Bush and Clinton have cancelled the event because the promoter had "overhyped" the joint appearance.

In an e-mail to CNN, Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna confirmed the New York Post's report.

Earlier, McKenna had stressed that the New York event would not be a heated debate.

"Just a moderated conversation...no fireworks," he said.

Earlier: Bush, Clinton to appear at Radio City Music Hall

–CNN's Alexander Mooney and Kay Jones contributed to this report.

Clinton and Bush are set to appear at Radio City Music Hall Wednesday.

(Update 4 pm ET: A Clinton spokesman confirms to CNN the event has now been canceled. Full story)

(CNN) - Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are set to appear at Radio City Music Hall in February - though if history is any guide, the matchup is likely to produce few fireworks.

The famous New York City venue announced Wednesday the two former presidents will share the same stage February 25, nine months after the ex-presidents shared a similar stage in Toronto, Canada.

A ticket to what Radio City is calling "the hottest political ticket in history" will cost anywhere form $60 to $1,250. Though $1,250 may seem on steep side for the 90 minute event, a VIP ticket includes a pre-show reception with the two former presidents along with the evening's yet-to-be-announced moderator. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will also be served and each guest will have a chance to pose with the former commanders-in-chief.

The two were largely chummy during the last joint appearance at the Toronto event in May. At one point, former President Bush joked that his mother, Barbara Bush, told him Clinton "was like a son to her" because of all the time he was spending with Bush's father.

"So brother, it's good to see you," Bush said then.

During that event, at which tickets cost an eye-popping $2,500, Clinton also showered praise on the former president on a host of issues.

"What he did on the AIDS drugs and the diversity in the cabinet … he deserves a lot of credit," he said.

The New York event is likely to be a lucrative one for both former presidents - each usually charge well over $100,000 in appearance fees. But Radio City isn't officially disclosing how much the former president's are being compensated.

Matt McKenna, a spokesman for former President Clinton, made clear the New York event will not be a heated debate.

"Just a moderated conversation...no fireworks," he said.

Follow Alex Mooney on Twitter @awmooneycnn

(CNN) – San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced Friday that he was ending his gubernatorial bid.

"It is with great regret I announce today that I am withdrawing from the race for governor of California," he said in a statement. "With a young family and responsibilities at city hall, I have found it impossible to commit the time required to complete this effort the way it needs to – and should be – done."

Earlier this month, former President Bill Clinton had endorsed Newsom, running against California Attorney General Jerry Brown. Brown and Clinton were themselves primary rivals in the 1992 presidential campaign, when Clinton defeated the former governor in California's presidential primary.

Clinton weighed in on another Democratic primary race earlier this year, when he backed former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe's unsuccessful bid for the party's gubernatorial nomination in Virginia.

Obama was seriously considering picking Clinton as his running mate, a new book reveals.

(CNN) - Some Democrats had dubbed the possibility of a Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton pairing last year as a "dream ticket," though the notion that the two once-bitter primary rivals would team up always seemed far-fetched.

But then-Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama was more seriously considering picking Clinton as his running mate than any of his senior aides realized, according to a forthcoming book by former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe.

Yet in the end, it may have been her husband Bill Clinton - who had made headlines for his outbursts on the campaign trail during the primary season - that ultimately scuttled the possibility.

In the new book, excerpts of which are running in the new issue of Time Magazine, Plouffe said Obama took both him and senior aide David Axelrod by surprise when he insisted on including Clinton on the initial list of potential picks for the No. 2 spot on the ticket.

"Obama was clearly thinking more seriously about picking Hillary Clinton than Axelrod and I had realized," Plouffe writes. "He said if his central criterion measured who could be the best VP, she had to be included in that list."

While Obama continued to consider picking Clinton throughout the summer of 2008, he ultimately eliminated her name from the list in early August, fearing, Plouffe writes, that there "were just too many complications outweighing the potential strengths."

"I think Bill may be too big a complication," Plouffe quotes Obama as saying. "If I picked her, my concern is that there would be more than two of us in the relationship."

The new book, titled The Audacity to Win, hits book stores November 3.

As Election Day approaches, Gov. Corzine is getting some high profile help on the campaign trail.

(CNN) - With two weeks left until Election Day, and Jon Corzine fighting for his political life, the New Jersey governor gets a helping hand from another big-name surrogate Tuesday night.

Former President Bill Clinton teams up with Corzine at a campaign event at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It's the second of three straight days of Democratic heavyweights on the trail with the New Jersey governor: on Monday, Vice President Joe Biden teamed up with Corzine in New Jersey for the second time this month. On Wednesday, President Barack Obama headlines a Corzine rally in the Garden State.

A new Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey Poll suggests that Obama remains popular in the Garden State. The survey, released Tuesday, also indicates that Corzine is dead even with his Republican challenger, Chris Christie, the former federal prosecutor in New Jersey. Corzine, battling for his second term, trailed Christie over the summer - but just about every recent poll of likely New Jersey voters indicates that he's now pulled into a tie with Christie. The surveys also suggest that independent candidate Chris Daggett is making an impact, with support in the low double digits - more than enough to swing the race.

Christie gets some big-name help of his own next week. A source with the Christie campaign tells CNN that former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will stand alongside the Republican challenger next week. Giuliani, along with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, have teamed up with Christie over the past few months.

For Clinton, the stops in New Jersey - he's also joined the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor candidate at a separate event - follow a visit to the gubernatorial campaign in Virginia. The former president lended a helping hand to Democrat Creigh Deeds, who trails Republican Bob McDonnell in recent polling in the battle for Virginia's governorship. The Democratic incumbent, Tim Kaine, who's also Democratic Party chairman, is term-limited and can't run for re-election.

A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation national survey indicates that Clinton remains popular with most Americans. Nearly two-thirds of those questioned in the survey say they have a favorable opinion of the former president.

Clinton campaigned in Virginia on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former President Bill Clinton played political analyst Tuesday during a campaign appearance in Virginia for Democrat Creigh Deeds, who is trailing Republican Bob McDonnell according to recent polling.

"So are the polls right?" Clinton said during a rally in northern Virginia. "The answer is yes, no and maybe. Yes, the polls are an accurate measurement of the voter groups that they talk to in proportion to each other. So if on election day that profile shows up, you have to change minds."

"The 'no' answer is, that's not close to a profile of the people either who voted in the primary, which was an open primary, or in the general election of 2008."

"And the 'maybe' is the thing that matters," he said. "The maybe is you. The maybe is what you do in the two weeks, whether you're prepared to step into the breach."

Clinton urged the crowd to tell fellow Democrats that jobs, health care, energy, education and "sensible budgets" are all at stake on Election Day.

He offered his analysis Tuesday flanked by Deeds and longtime friend Terry McAuliffe, who also sought the Democratic nomination for governor. Clinton campaigned actively for McAuliffe in the primary earlier this year, a contest that he said taught him to "never underestimate" Deeds, who came from behind to pull out a victory in June.

Though Deeds has been criticized for running an underwhelming and negative campaign, Clinton told the audience: "I like the way he handled himself in the primary, and I like the way he's handling himself in the general election."

Sen. John McCain is holding a rally with Bob McDonnell on Saturday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – As one of only two statewide campaigns in the 2009 election cycle, the Virginia governor's race has seen a parade of national political stars make the trip to the Old Dominion.

Late Friday, Creigh Deeds' campaign announced that President Obama would join the Democratic candidate on the trail at the end of the month. Obama's 2008 presidential rival will get there first: On Saturday, Sen. John McCain will make his second trip to Virginia on behalf of Republican candidate Bob McDonnell. McCain, a decorated Navy hero, will help McDonnell make a closing pitch to veterans at a rally in Hampton Roads, a region of the state with a heavy military population.

McCain isn't the only high-profile Republican who has stumped for the former Virginia Attorney General: Two other former presidential candidates - former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee - have twice visited the state twice to campaign. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani also raised money for McDonnell.

Along with Romney and Huckabee, McDonnell has welcomed a number of top Republicans who may run for president in 2012. That list includes Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, the chairman of the Republican Governors Association. Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele campaigned with McDonnell in May.

Creigh Deeds, who spent the first half of the year in a three-way fight for the Democratic nomination, hasn't had an army of national figures campaign with him. But several prominent Democrats have chipped in to help.

On Friday, former Vice President Al Gore held a fundraiser for Democratic candidate Creigh Deeds. And next week, former President Bill Clinton will appear at a rally for Deeds along with longtime Clinton friend Terry McAuliffe, who sought the Democratic nomination before losing to Deeds in June.

The party's leader, President Obama, will make his second trip to Virginia to lend a hand, the Deeds campaign announced Friday. The visit will be Obama's second on the trail for the gubernatorial candidate: he campaigned for Deeds and hosted a fundraiser for him in August Vice President Joe Biden and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, have both stumped for Deeds.

For a campaign thought by many to be a referendum of the Obama presidency, the election will largely turn by local issues - specifically transportation and the economy. Deeds has also tried to make the race about women's issues by highlighting a conservative thesis written by McDonnell in which he called working women "detrimental" to families.

Entering October, McDonnell held a significant cash advantage, with $4.5 million on hand to Deeds' $2.7 million.

– CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby contributed to this report

Clinton supported his friend Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia Democratic primary.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – President Obama still hasn't committed to campaign with Creigh Deeds before Election Day, but the Democratic gubernatorial hopeful is getting an assist from a former President: Bill Clinton.

Clinton will appear at a rally with Deeds somewhere in northern Virginia next Tuesday, a Deeds aide said. The exact location has not yet been finalized.

Longtime Clinton ally Terry McAuliffe, who sought the Democratic nomination before losing to Deeds in June, will also be in attendance. McAuliffe has sent out a fundraising e-mail on Deeds' behalf, but he has also urged Deeds to run a more positive campaign if he hopes to catch up to Republican Bob McDonnell before Election Day, Nov. 3.

Former Vice President Al Gore is raising money for Deeds on Friday evening.

Clinton will campaign with Gavin Newsom next week.

(CNN) - Former President Bill Clinton will visit Los Angeles next week in support of Democratic gubernatorial candidate and current San Francisco Mayor, Gavin Newsom.

Newsom and Clinton are scheduled to hold an event at L.A. City College on Monday, October 5. Later that day, WJC will attend a fundraiser for Newsom's primary gubernatorial bid.

Newsom aggressively campaigned for now-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her unsuccessful campaign to capture the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 2008.

Newsom and Clinton plan to tour a new LEED-certified Science and Technology Building at the LACC and speak to faculty and students about green technology jobs and education.

Former President Bill Clinton will headline a major fundraiser for the New Hampshire Democratic Party in December.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Former President Bill Clinton will headline a major fundraiser for the New Hampshire Democratic Party in December, giving a little back to a state that has favored his family when it comes to politics.

Ray Buckley, chair of the state Democratic Party, announced Monday that Clinton would appear at the Dec. 2 Jefferson Jackson Dinner, a $100 per person fundraiser.

For Clinton, New Hampshire has played a key role in his family's political career. His second place showing in the New Hampshire Primary, at a time when he was battling allegations of infidelity, helped put Clinton on course to win the 1992 Democratic nomination and eventually the presidency. And it was a New Hampshire Primary victory in 2008 that breathed new life into then-New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign for the Democratic nomination following a poor, third place showing in the Iowa caucuses.

While no longer an elected official, the former president continues to make news. In an interview this week on NBC's "Meet the Press," Clinton said that he believes a "vast right wing conspiracy" still exists. "It's not as strong as it was, because America's changed demographically, but it's as virulrent as it was" during his time in the White House, Clinton said.

With an open Senate seat and an open House seat, New Hampshire is expected to be a major battleground in the 2010 congressional elections.

Follow Mark Preston on Twitter: @prestoncnn

In an interview that aired Sunday, former President Clinton said forces once allied against him are now focused on President Obama.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The "vast right-wing conspiracy" that attacked him during his presidency has been weakened, but continues to operate against President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton said Sunday.

On NBC's "Meet the Press," Clinton was asked about the term his wife Hillary Clinton, now Secretary of State, famously coined. "Is it still there?" asked host David Gregory.

"Oh, you bet. Sure it is. It's not as strong as it was, because America's changed demographically, but it's as virulent as it was," said the former president.

"I mean, they're saying things about him [Obama] - you know, it's like when they accused me of murder and all that stuff they did," Clinton said, in an apparent reference to conspiracy theories surrounding the suicide of White House deputy counsel Vince Foster.

He added, "It's not really good for the Republicans and the country, what's going on now. I mean, they may be hurting President Obama. They can take his numbers down, they can run his opposition up. But fundamentally, he and his team have a positive agenda for America."

The nation needs "a credible debate about what's the right balance between continuing to expand the economy through stimulus and beginning to move back to fiscal balance," Clinton said. "We need a credible debate about what's the best way to get to universal [health care] coverage."

Clinton praised Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine as "the one Republican who's come up with a good idea" on health care.

Clinton was asked whether he is concerned that the 2010 midterm elections could resemble those of 1994 - two years into his first term, when Republicans took control of the House and Senate.

"There's no way" that could happen, Clinton said, adding that "the country is more diverse and more interested in positive action." Also, he said, Republicans had control of the White House and the Congress for several years under President Bush, "and they know the results were bad."

And, he said, "the Democrats haven't taken on the gun lobby like I did."

"Whatever happens, it'll be manageable for our president," Clinton said.

NEW YORK (CNN) – One of America's pre-eminent political power couples made a rare joint appearance Friday, when Bill and Hillary Clinton took the stage at the former president's Clinton Global Initiative conference.

"I want to begin by expressing my extreme indebtedness to the Clinton Global Initiative, to all of you who participated, for giving me the first chance I have had in a week to see Hillary," Bill Clinton told the audience of social activists and business leaders at the closing session of CGI, a week-long conference designed to find solutions to global problems through public and private partnerships.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was at the session to unveil a new State Department initiative on food security.

As he introduced her, the former president was effusive in his praise for his wife, saying that her approach to food security - helping farmers around the world grow their own food to earn income and alleviate poverty - was much smarter than the decades-long policy of simply giving humanitarian aid and food to countries.

"It was a wrong-headed policy. It persisted through Democratic and Republican policies alike, including mine. We were all wrong and she is determined to reverse it," Bill Clinton said, adding that while he was busy engaging in politics, Hillary had "become her own NGO."

"Most of what I know about what I do today, I learned from her and she has become the best public servant our family has produced," he added. "I am very proud of her and honored that she came here."

Secretary Clinton, who received a standing ovation, had equally kind words for her husband.

"It won't surprise you to hear that I am very proud of my husband and I think what he has invented and brought to life here is extraordinary," she said, adding that the new State Department food initiative, in part, was an idea she developed by seeing the kinds of partnerships the Clinton Global Initiative produced.

The Clintons posed for a photo-op with State Department officials and executives from General Mills and other organizations, who pledged at the conference to start a program to help farmers around the world.

And then, for fans of the former first couple, a rare treat. As she
walked off the stage, Hillary's proud husband drew some more cheers when he gave his wife a kiss.

Bill Clinton continued to read off the million-dollar commitments he received at the conference for additional social programs. And Hillary Clinton left to meet with 15 ministers from the Caribbean.

(CNN) - Former President Bill Clinton is speaking out about his decision to change his personal stance on same-sex marriage.

In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, the former president said that while he still believes the issue should be left up to the states, he is no longer personally opposed to same-sex marriage as he once was.

"I was against the constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage nation-wide, and I still think that the American people should be able to play this out in debates," Clinton said. "But me, Bill Clinton personally, I changed my position.

"I am no longer opposed to that," he added. "I think if people want to make commitments that last a lifetime, they ought to be able to do it."

The full interview will air on Anderson Cooper 360 at 10 p.m. ET.

'I really think that we should disaggregate lingering problems of discrimination from the attacks to which the president is subject,' Bill Clinton tells Larry King.

(CNN) – Former President Bill Clinton told CNN Monday that he thinks some of the criticism directed at President Obama is racially motivated, but added that not all of Obama’s detractors are racist and urged his fellow Democrats to remain focused on trying to enact health care reform.

“I believe that some of the right-wing extremists which oppose President Obama are also racially prejudiced and would prefer not to have an African-American president,” Clinton told CNN’s Larry King in an interview to air Monday evening. “But I don’t believe that all the people who oppose him on health care – and all the conservatives – are racists. And I believe if he were white, every single person who opposes him now, would be opposing him then. Therefore, while I have devoted my life to getting rid of racism, I think this is a fight that my president and our party – this is one we need to win on the merits.”

Clinton later added, “I really think that we should disaggregate lingering problems of discrimination from the attacks to which the president is subject.”

Clinton was reacting to Rep. Joe Wilson’s, R-South Carolina, outburst when he shouted “You lie” at Obama during the president’s joint address to Congress and former President Jimmy Carter’s assessment that racism is an issue for Obama in trying to lead the country.

Watch Clinton’s entire interview on CNN’s Larry King Live Monday night beginning at 9 p.m. ET

"I think President Clinton's assessment was that [Kim's] - he's pretty healthy and in control," President Obama said in an interview that airs Sunday on CNN's State of the Union, "And that's important to know, because we don't have a lot of interaction with the North Koreans. And, you know, President Clinton had a chance to see him close up and have conversations with him.

"I won't go into any more details than that. But there's no doubt that this is somebody who, you know, I think for a while people thought was slipping away. He's reasserted himself. It does appear that he's concerned about - he was more concerned about succession when he was - succession when he was sick, maybe less so now that he's well."

Obama also told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King that his administration's approach to the largely-isolated Asian nation "is a success story so far."

"[W]e have been able to hold together a coalition that includes the Chinese and the Russians to really apply some of the toughest sanctions we've seen, and it's having an impact," the president said.

The president added that he hoped to see progress toward more responsible behavior from North Korea's leaders.

Full story

Former President Bill Clinton will endorse San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom in the 2010 California governor's race.

(CNN) – Former President Bill Clinton will endorse San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom in the 2010 California governor's race, a Clinton aide confirmed to CNN.

Clinton's decision to weigh in for Newsom puts him at odds once again with the candidate many consider the likely frontrunner for the Democratic nomination - California Attorney General and former governor Jerry Brown, the man Clinton defeated for the 1992 Democratic presidential nomination.

But Newsom curried favor with the former president in 2008, when he endorsed and campaigned actively for Hillary Clinton during her quest for the Democratic presidential nomination. The 42nd president is now returning the favor by throwing his weight around in a Democratic primary, as he has done with other 2010 candidates who backed Hillary's bid last year.

Clinton has endorsed Florida Rep. Kendrick Meek and Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher in their 2010 Senate bids, even though both candidates have yet to secure their party's nomination. He also backed his longtime ally Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia governor's race, but McAuliffe lost a three-way fight for the Democratic nomination in June.

The endorsement was first reported by ABC News.

Clinton and Bill Clinton are set to have lunch Monday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Talk about a power lunch.

President Obama will meet for lunch Monday with former President Bill Clinton in New York City, the White House confirmed.

The two men are slated to meet after Obama gives a speech on the economy at Federal Hall in lower Manhattan.

Both attended a memorial service in New York City last week for Walter Cronkite.

The Clintons are reportedly headed to Bermuda this weekend.

(CNN) - President Obama isn't the only member of his administration planning an island getaway this month.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is slated for a four-day stay in Bermuda this weekend with husband Bill, the Bermuda Sun reports.

According to the paper, it's the first trip back to the island for the famous political couple since a stay in the summer of 1979, before the birth of daughter Chelsea.

The Clintons had even sought to stay in the same cottage they did three decades ago, but the venue was unable to meet their needs.

The Clintons will instead stay at Cambridge Beaches Resort and Spa, a facility where, according to the resort's Web site, room rates can run as high as nearly $2,000 a night.

The famous duo's plans could be hampered by the fast moving Hurricane Bill, a Category 3 storm that is currently on track to pass near the island at the end of the week.

Meanwhile, next week President Obama plans to take his family to Martha's Vineyard, the island off Massachusetts where the Clintons annually vacationed during their years in the White House. Chelsea Clinton is expected to be on the island this weekend

The State Department had no comment on reports of the trip, and a spokeswoman for the resort said there is no reservation for the Clintons this weekend.

"Even if they did [have a reservation], we wouldn't say," she said.

Clinton met with Obama Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Former President Bill Clinton met for 70 minutes Tuesday with President Barack Obama to brief him on Clinton's trip to North Korea earlier this month to secure the release of two jailed journalists.

It was the first face-to-face meeting between the men since Clinton returned to the United States on August 5 with the two journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling.

Related: White House issues statement on meeting

During his stay in North Korea, Clinton met with reclusive leader Kim Jong Il, whose government is under U.N. sanctions for its efforts to develop a nuclear weapons program.

A White House statement said Obama and Clinton met for nearly 40 minutes in the White House Situation Room, where Obama thanked Clinton for undertaking the mission.

"Former President Clinton described the process, including a meeting with Kim Jong Il, that culminated in the North Korean leadership granting 'special amnesty' to the two journalists and permitting them to return to the United States," the statement said.

After the meeting, Obama invited Clinton to the Oval Office to continue their conversation for another 30 minutes, according to the statement.

Before Tuesday's meeting with Obama, Clinton had debriefed with members of the president's National Security team at least twice since his return, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton missed the meeting because of a scheduling conflict, with a meeting with Colombia's foreign minister, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said. Cheryl Mills, the chief of staff for Secretary Clinton and her point person on the situation regarding the detained journalists, was to attend in her place, Kelly said.

Ling and Lee were working for California-based Current TV, a media venture of former Vice President Al Gore, when they were arrested in March for crossing the border between China and North Korea.

They were sentenced in June to 12 years of hard labor. Kim pardoned the women after meeting with Clinton.

(CNN) – The White House released a statement Tuesday night on President Obama's meeting with former President Clinton.

President Obama today met in the Situation Room with former President Clinton for nearly forty minutes to thank him in person for undertaking the humanitarian mission to secure the release of two American citizens who had been detained by North Korea for over four months. Former President Clinton described the process, including a meeting with Kim Jong-il, that culminated in the North Korean leadership granting "special amnesty" to the two journalists and permitting them to return to the United States. President Obama said he was gratified that the Americans had been safely reunited with their families. After the meeting, President Obama invited President Clinton to the Oval Office to continue their conversation for another half hour.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former President Clinton will meet with President Obama at the White House tomorrow afternoon for the first time since Clinton's trip to North Korea that secured the release of two jailed journalists Eung Lee and Laura Ling in early August.

President Obama made a congratulatory phone call to the former president when he returned to the U.S. on August 6, but Clinton will provide a fuller debriefing at this face-to-face meeting.

According to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, President Clinton has debriefed with members of the president’s National Security team on at least two occasions since his return. Gibbs said the two presidents had not met sooner because they were unable to coordinate their schedules.

Bill Clinton on Thursday urged supporters of President Obama's health care plan to voice their support.

(CNN) – Former President Bill Clinton was on his toes - and on message - as he urged supporters of President Barack Obama's health care reform agenda to step up their efforts.

Speaking Thursday to a crowd of political activists at the annual Netroots Nation convention in Pittsburgh on Thursday, Clinton said a big victory on health care would have serious political implications.

"The president needs your help," Clinton said. "The minute the president signs this bill, his approval will go up. Within a year, when the good things begin to happen, and the bad things they're saying will happen don't happen, approval will explode."

The four-day convention for left-leaning bloggers, thinkers and activists is themed "This ain't no tea party." It's a not-so-subtle jab at recent conservative grassroots efforts against the White House's fiscal agenda.

"Everybody knows what happened in 1993 and 1994," Clinton said, referencing his own administration's failed attempts at health care reform. "One thing we know is that if you get out there and do not prevail the victors get to rewrite history."

Most of the speech centered on mainstay Democratic issues, and Clinton - fresh off of his trip to North Korea to bring home then-imprisoned American journalists - was in top rhetorical form.

"You are the trustees of this moment," he told the crowd. But his speech didn't exactly go off without a hitch: In a moment somewhat reminiscent of the contentious health care town hall meetings around the country, Clinton was at one point forced to defend himself from a heckler demanding answers on gay rights issues.

"You want to talk about 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell?'" Clinton fired back when gay activist Lane Hudson asked about the the controversial military policy. "I'll tell you exactly what happened. You couldn't deliver me any support in Congress, and they voted by a veto-proof majority in both houses against my attempts to let gays serve in the military, and the media supported them."

Throughout his speech, Clinton defended his previous work on progressive initiatives as he urged the audience to make their voices heard.

"We cannot be in the peanut gallery," he said. "We cannot ask the president or Congress to do it alone."

The tense moment happened as Clinton spoke to students at a Congolese university in Kinshasa. A male student rose to ask a question about Chinese financial contracts in his country. The student asked Clinton what President Obama would think of the deal, but pool reporters in the room said the translator made a mistake and asked what Bill Clinton would think.

Clinton looked surprised when she first heard the translation in her headset, and then sharply replied, "You want me to tell you what my husband thinks? My husband is not the Secretary of State, I am. You ask my opinion, I will tell you my opinion. I'm not going to channel my husband."

At the State Department, Assistant Secretary P.J. Crowley said the question she heard "struck a nerve" - that her opinion on the matter was apparently of less interest than that of her husband, the former president.

Crowley told CNN her answer must be considered in the context of her African trip.

"The Secretary of State is going to Goma Tuesday, to draw attention to the plight of women who are victims of rape as a weapon of war" in Congo, he said. "She did react to what she heard," Crowley explained. Even if the interpreter mixed up the translation, he said, "you can't separate the question from the setting."

"If Africa, if Congo is going to advance, women have to play a more significant role," Crowley said. "She was in the setting of a town hall, and the questioner was interested in what two men thought, not the Secretary of State."

Crowley, who has just returned to Washington after traveling with Secretary Clinton during the first part of her trip to Africa, said the State Department has not yet reviewed recordings of the original question in French to learn whether the student clearly intended the question to refer to President Obama, not former President Clinton.

"She did talk with the student afterward, and they seemed to have reached an understanding," Crowley said.

The tense moment happened as Clinton spoke to students at a Congolese university in Kinshasa. A male student rose to ask a question about Chinese financial contracts in his country. The student asked Clinton what President Obama would think of the deal, but pool reporters in the room said the translator made a mistake and asked what Bill Clinton would think.

Clinton looked surprised when she first heard the translation in her headset, and then sharply replied, "You want me to tell you what my husband thinks? My husband is not the Secretary of State, I am. You ask my opinion, I will tell you my opinion. I'm not going to channel my husband."

At the State Department, Assistant Secretary P.J. Crowley said the question she heard "struck a nerve" - that her opinion on the matter was apparently of less interest than that of her husband, the former president.

Crowley told CNN her answer must be considered in the context of her African trip.

"The Secretary of State is going to Goma Tuesday, to draw attention to the plight of women who are victims of rape as a weapon of war" in Congo, he said. "She did react to what she heard," Crowley explained. Even if the interpreter mixed up the translation, he said, "you can't separate the question from the setting."

"If Africa, if Congo is going to advance, women have to play a more significant role," Crowley said. "She was in the setting of a town hall, and the questioner was interested in what two men thought, not the Secretary of State."

Crowley, who has just returned to Washington after traveling with Secretary Clinton during the first part of her trip to Africa, said the State Department has not yet reviewed recordings of the original question in French to learn whether the student clearly intended the question to refer to President Obama, not former President Clinton.

"She did talk with the student afterward, and they seemed to have reached an understanding," Crowley said.

Rice said it was 'ridiculous' to say Bill Clinton was acting in any official capacity during his trip to North Korea.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said that the Obama administration was pleased with the result of former President Bill Clinton’s private mission that resulted in the release of American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee – and wouldn’t rule out bringing him back on board in a more official role in the future.

“Obviously this was not a negotiation. I want to be clear about this,” she told CNN’s John King on “State of the Union.”

“This was a humanitarian mission. But Bill Clinton has enormous skills, experience and talent, we’re very grateful for his willingness to take this private mission, and pleased with the results. I can’t predict what might transpire down the road but we obviously value what he can contribute.”

Clinton traveled to North Korea last week and spoke with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, securing the release of the two women.

Rice said it was “ridiculous” to say Clinton was acting in an official capacity or relaying any messages on the administration’s behalf. But she conceded that his visit provided the White House with some valuable insight into the state of the regime.

“Obviously he listened, and obviously we are still in the process of continuing our debriefing with President Clinton, and obviously he heard what Kim Jong-il had to say,” she said. “And what that contributes to our understanding of what’s going on in North Korea I’d rather not get into in this discussion, but obviously we look forward to a full analysis of the observations and analysis of what President Clinton brought back.”

Rice said Clinton’s mission, and the release of Ling and Lee, would not change the administration’s approach or policy toward the regime.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - It was a heartwarming sight: Laura Ling and Euna Lee landing on U.S. soil and being reunited with their families.

Then, after an appropriate amount of time for hugs and kisses, Bill Clinton appeared, descending from his movie-producer friend's plane like an angel from heaven.

An emotional Ling practically referred to the former president as a messiah, describing to the media and well-wishers waiting at the airport how she and Lee thought they were being sent to a hard-labor camp, only to walk through a door to find Clinton. The crowd broke into loud applause.

For all of those who wondered what Bill would do in Hillary Clinton's diplomatic world, wonder no longer.

As details of the Clinton mission came out, it was revealed that the North Koreans themselves asked for Clinton, promising amnesty for the women upon delivery of the former president, whose visit eluded them while he was in
office. The deal was done even before Clinton stepped on the plane.

So what is next for Bill Clinton?

If the mere thought of a meeting with him is enough to move a regime notorious for never moving, can the Obama administration use that star power to rescue three American hikers who ventured into Iran and are believed to be held
by Iranian authorities? Can Clinton head off two Russian attack submarines cruising in the Atlantic off the East Coast of the United States?

Former presidents are used as envoys and undertake humanitarian missions all the time.

Then-President Clinton used former President Jimmy Carter to travel to North Korea in 1994 to negotiate the end to the first nuclear crisis. Clinton and his predecessor, George H.W. Bush, were tapped by Bush's son, then-President George W. Bush, to lead relief efforts to help Asian and African nations devastated by the 2004 tsunami and again in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina.

But the relationship between Bill and Hillary Clinton and President Obama is complex, to say the least. After a bitter-fought battle during the Democratic primaries, Hillary Clinton supporters were looking for a robust role for her in exchange for her support of Obama, with many even suggesting her as a possible candidate for vice president.

That idea was short-lived. The Obama team wanted Hillary far from the West Wing. And they wanted Bill even farther.

When Obama tapped Hillary to be his secretary of state, there was no shortage of critics who asserted that her husband's global foundation and role as a high-paid public speaker would present a conflict of interest. The Clintons agreed to strict rules of the road to avoid such conflicts going forward.

However Hillary never demurred in her praise for what her husband has accomplished, both during his eight years in the White House or post-presidency. Hillary herself has said she considered her husband a trusted adviser and could even consider him using him where appropriate. He is a former president, after all.

Bill Clinton has largely stayed out of the limelight, quietly continuing his globetrotting on behalf of the world's poor and downtrodden. In May, United

Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon appointed him as the United Nations' special envoy to Haiti in an effort to refocus international attention on the Caribbean country's deep economic problems and environmental decay.

But with the success of his North Korean mission so quick and easy, it's conceivable that Bill Clinton could add the role of "diplomatic cleaner" to his resume - a version of Harvey Keitel's role as Winston Wolfe in the movie "Pulp Fiction" - a fixer of messy problems, which he solves with a combination of stylish charisma and lucid thinking under pressure.

The Obama administration has no shortage of messy foreign policy problems that Hillary Clinton knows could use a Winston Wolfe.

BURBANK, California (CNN) – Laura Ling expressed the shock that she and Euna Lee felt when former President Bill Clinton showed up in North Korea to secure the two journalists' release.

"We feared at any moment that we could be sent to a hard labor camp, and then suddenly we were told we were going to a meeting," a tearful and emotional Ling said Wednesday.

She spoke at a news conference just minutes after the two women were reunited with their families at Burbank's Bob Hope Airport outside Los Angeles.

They had been detained in North Korea since March. The reclusive communist nation pardoned Ling, 32, and Lee, 36, after Clinton arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday and helped secure their release.

"We were taken to a location and when we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us President Bill Clinton," Ling said, with Lee standing beside her.

"We were shocked, but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end."

She expressed their "deepest gratitude" to Clinton and his "wonderful, amazing" team.

"The past 140 days have been the most difficult, heart-wrenching time of our lives," Ling said. "We are very grateful that we were granted amnesty by the government of North Korea and we are so happy to be home."

She said the women are looking forward to spending "some quiet, private time" with their families.

Former Vice President Al Gore also spoke to the throngs of media at the news conference. He expressed his gratitude to Clinton, President Barack Obama and his administration who "have been deeply involved in this humanitarian effort."

Lee and Ling are employed by Gore's California-based media company Current TV. The women were arrested in March while reporting from the
border between North Korea and China and sentenced in June to 12 years of hard labor on charges of entering the country illegally to conduct a smear campaign.

Lee bowed as she walked down the steps of the plane into a private hangar, and Ling raised her fists into the air. The women hugged their
families, who were waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Lee's 4-year-old daughter, Hannah - who has not seen her mother since March - clung tightly to her tearful mother.

Clinton secured their release in a brief trip to Pyongyang. He walked off the plane, giving the women time to reunite with their families, but he did not address the crowd.

Through an official statement released Wednesday by his office, Clinton said, "I am very happy that after this long ordeal, Laura Ling and Euna Lee are now home and reunited with their loved ones."

"When their families, Vice President Gore and the White House asked that I undertake this humanitarian mission, I agreed. I share a deep sense of relief with Laura and Euna and their families that they are safely home."

Speaking at the White House, Obama applauded the journalists' release.

"We are very pleased with the outcome," Obama said Wednesday, noting that their release is a "source of happiness not only for the families (of the journalists) but for the entire country."

Obama thanked Clinton and Gore for their roles in winning the release of Lee and Ling.

Clinton made the trip to North Korea after the families of the women asked him to travel there and seek their release, a senior administration official said Tuesday. Gore - who served as Clinton's vice president - also made the same appeal to Clinton.

Doug Ling, Laura Ling's father, reacted to the news of his daughter's release outside his home in Carmichael, California, saying it was "one of the best days in my life."

"I figured, sooner or later, they'd be back," he said.

In Los Angeles, family friend Welly Yang said the Ling family had "done everything they could, while respecting the North Korean government, to try and get Laura home."

He predicted that Ling would remain a journalist. "Despite this terrifying experience, I can't imagine that Laura would give up her passion to
tell stories that otherwise wouldn't be heard."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed her relief that the two women were released. She spoke from Nairobi, Kenya, where she is taking part in a multi-nation visit to Africa.

"I spoke to my husband on the airplane, and everything went well, we are extremely excited that they will be reunited soon when they touch down in California," the secretary of state said. "It is just a good day to be able to see this happen."

Ling and Lee spoke to their families in July and told them the North Koreans were willing to grant them amnesty if a high-level envoy, such as
former President Clinton, were willing to travel to Pyongyang, the administration official said.

North Korea said that Clinton "expressed words of sincere apology to Kim Jong Il" for the journalists' actions, but an Obama administration official said he knew nothing about an apology.

He said Clinton met for a total of three hours and 15 minutes with the North Korean leader but said he did not know what issues were discussed. But he said that Clinton's views on a verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula are "well known."

North Korea's state-run Korea Central News Agency said Clinton conveyed a message from Obama "expressing profound thanks for this and reflecting views on ways of improving the relations between the two countries."

But White House spokesman Robert Gibbs had told reporters in Washington prior to the announced agreement that Clinton was not carrying any message - written or oral - from Obama.

Gibbs added that the former president last spoke with Obama during a White House visit in March. He described Clinton's trip as a "solely private mission to secure the release of two Americans."

Clinton's mission came as the United States and its allies in the region are seeking to persuade North Korea to return to nuclear disarmament talks, which have stalled.

North Korea conducted its second nuclear bomb test in May, and has conducted several missile tests since. The United Nations has responded to those tests by tightening and expanding sanctions on the nation.

North Korea and the United States were on opposite sides in the 1950-1953 Korean War and had no regular contacts before a 1994 crisis over North Korea's nuclear program. North Korea agreed then to halt the development of nuclear weapons, but abandoned that accord and withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003.

Former President Clinton had considered visiting North Korea in 2000, near the end of his second term as president. His secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, had gone to Pyongyang in early 2000 to meet with Kim - the last high-ranking American official to do so before this week.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton met with top North Korean officials in Pyongyang to appeal for the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee.

(CNN) - North Korean President Kim Jong Il has pardoned and ordered the release of two U.S. journalists, state-run news agency KCNA said Wednesday.

The announcement came after former U.S. President Bill Clinton met with top North Korean officials in Pyongyang to appeal for the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who had been arrested while reporting from the border between North Korea and China.

"Clinton expressed words of sincere apology to Kim Jong Il for the hostile acts committed by the two American journalists against the DPRK after illegally intruding into it," the news agency reported. "Clinton courteously conveyed to Kim Jong Il an earnest request of the U.S. government to leniently pardon them and send them back home from a humanitarian point of view.

"The meetings had candid and in-depth discussions on the pending issues between the DPRK and the U.S. in a sincere atmosphere and reached a consensus of views on seeking a negotiated settlement of them."

The report said Clinton then conveyed a message from U.S. President Barack Obama "expressing profound thanks for this and reflecting views on ways of improving the relations between the two countries."

It added, "The measure taken to release the American journalists is a manifestation of the DPRK's humanitarian and peace-loving policy.

"The DPRK visit of Clinton and his party will contribute to deepening the understanding between the DPRK and the U.S. and building the bilateral confidence."

DPRK is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the nation's official name.

The two American journalists had been held in the reclusive communist nation since their arrest in March.

Earlier in the day, White House Secretary Robert Gibbs said Clinton was on a "solely private mission to secure the release of two Americans."

Ling and Lee are reporters for California-based Current TV - a media venture launched by Clinton's former vice president, Al Gore.

The two were sentenced in June to 12 years in prison on charges of entering the country illegally to conduct a smear campaign. Since the United States has no diplomatic relations with North Korea, efforts to resolve the issue had been handled through Sweden, which represents U.S. interests in Pyongyang.

The visit by the former president, whose wife, Hillary, is now the Obama administration's secretary of state, came about three weeks after the United States dropped a request that Ling and Lee be released on humanitarian grounds. Instead, the United States was seeking amnesty for the women, Hillary Clinton said.

A plea for amnesty implies forgiveness for some offense, which could have given North Korea the chance to release the women without feeling that its legal system had been slighted, according to analyst Mike Chinoy, an Edgerton senior fellow on Asia at the Pacific Council on International Policy in Los Angeles.

Prior to the release, Chinoy said, "I suspect that it was made pretty clear in advance that Bill Clinton would be able to return with these two
women, otherwise it would be a terrible loss of face for him."

Clinton's mission came as the United States and its allies in the region are seeking to push North Korea back into stalled nuclear disarmament talks.

North Korea conducted a nuclear bomb test, its second, in May, and has conducted several missile tests since then. The United Nations responded to those tests by tightening and expanding sanctions on the nation.

North Korea and the United States were on opposite sides in the 1950-1953 Korean War and had no regular contacts before a 1994 crisis over North Korea's nuclear program. North Korea agreed at that time to halt the development of nuclear weapons, but abandoned that accord and withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003.

Clinton had considered visiting North Korea in 2000, near the end of his second term as president. His secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, had gone to Pyongyang in early 2000 to meet with Kim.

The 67-year-old North Korean leader was widely reported to have suffered a stroke a year ago and is believed to be grooming his youngest son, Kim Jon UN, as his successor.

– CNN's Elaine Quijano and Charlie Moore contributed to this story

(CNN) – Former U.S. President Bill Clinton landed in North Korea early Tuesday on a mission to negotiate the release of two American journalists imprisoned there since March, according to the country's state news agency and a CNN source.

The North Korean news agency KCNA did not disclose the purpose of the visit in its three-line dispatch. But a source with detailed knowledge of the former president's movements told CNN late Monday that Clinton was going to seek the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, both reporters for California-based Current TV - media venture launched by Clinton's former vice president, Al Gore.

Meeting Clinton were the vice president of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly, Yang Hyong Sop, and Kim Kye Gwan, the vice foreign minister, KCNA reported, adding that "a little girl presented a bouquet to Bill Clinton."

The women were arrested while reporting on the border between North Korea and China and sentenced in June to 12 years in prison on charges of entering the country illegally to conduct a smear campaign.

Full story

Former President Bill Clinton blasted Republicans Monday in a fundraising e-mail.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – It's apparently deja vu all over again for former President Bill Clinton.

In a fundraising e-mail on behalf of congressional Democrats, Clinton is blasting Republicans for opposing President Obama's health care push, and reminding people of his administration's ultimately unsuccessful efforts to reform the industry 16 years ago.

"It seems like the 1993 health care debate all over again," Clinton writes in the e-mail, noting that Americans "urgently" needed health care reform as much then as they do now.

"But, just as I did in 1993, President Obama has run into a buzz saw of special interest opposition to his top domestic policy priority - health care reform," he says in the message. "He is facing off against some of the most powerful special interests in Washington who've launched a furious campaign to preserve the status quo."

"...Simply put, they're at it again."

Clinton accuses GOP congressmen of making a "political calculation" to misrepresent Obama's health care plan and to "attack Congressional Democrats with sound bites" instead of making quality health care affordable and accessible."

The former President makes no mention in the e-mail of his wife Hillary, who took charge of his administration's ultimately doomed health care effort in 1993. During her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination last year, both she and John Edwards criticized Obama's health care plan for not mandating that individuals purchase insurance.

Asked for a response to the e-mail, a spokesman for congressional Republicans said Clinton is acknowleding that Democrats haven't made much progress since the last time they tried to shake up the health care system.

"It's nice to finally hear Democrats admitting that they are re-running the failed Hillary-Care playbook from 1993," said Ken Spain, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. "Before Democrats start casting blame for their inability to govern, they might want to begin by having a conversation with the dozens of members in their own caucus who refuse to get on board with Nancy Pelosi's government takeover because it increases costs, runs up the deficit, and is paid for with a small business tax."

Former President Bill Clinton blasted Republicans Monday in a fundraising e-mail.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – It's apparently deja vu all over again for former President Bill Clinton.

In a fundraising e-mail on behalf of congressional Democrats, Clinton is blasting Republicans for opposing President Obama's health care push, and reminding people of his administration's ultimately unsuccessful efforts to reform the industry 16 years ago.

"It seems like the 1993 health care debate all over again," Clinton writes in the e-mail, noting that Americans "urgently" needed health care reform as much then as they do now.

"But, just as I did in 1993, President Obama has run into a buzz saw of special interest opposition to his top domestic policy priority - health care reform," he says in the message. "He is facing off against some of the most powerful special interests in Washington who've launched a furious campaign to preserve the status quo."

"...Simply put, they're at it again."

Clinton accuses GOP congressmen of making a "political calculation" to misrepresent Obama's health care plan and to "attack Congressional Democrats with sound bites" instead of making quality health care affordable and accessible."

The former President makes no mention in the e-mail of his wife Hillary, who took charge of his administration's ultimately doomed health care effort in 1993. During her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination last year, both she and John Edwards criticized Obama's health care plan for not mandating that individuals purchase insurance.

Asked for a response to the e-mail, a spokesman for congressional Republicans said Clinton is acknowleding that Democrats haven't made much progress since the last time they tried to shake up the health care system.

"It's nice to finally hear Democrats admitting that they are re-running the failed Hillary-Care playbook from 1993," said Ken Spain, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. "Before Democrats start casting blame for their inability to govern, they might want to begin by having a conversation with the dozens of members in their own caucus who refuse to get on board with Nancy Pelosi's government takeover because it increases costs, runs up the deficit, and is paid for with a small business tax."

Former President Bill Clinton is set to attend a fundraiser for Rep. Carolyn Maloney.

(CNN) - Former President Bill Clinton will attend a fundraiser for a congresswoman from New York City who's challenging Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in next year's Democratic primary.

The fundraiser is for Rep. Carolyn Maloney. Her campaign's chief strategist, Joe Trippi, tells CNN that Maloney has made her decision to run against Gillibrand and will soon formally announce her Senate bid.

Gillibrand, a former congresswoman from upstate New York, was named by Gov. David Paterson in January to succeed Hillary Clinton.

The White House has been hoping to prevent a primary fight next year in New York by trying to clear the field for Gillibrand. Steve Israel, another congressman from New York who was considering a run against Gillibrand, decided against such a bid after lobbying by the White House.

Former President Clinton has not made an endorsement in the race, but his appearance at a Maloney fundraiser will raise some eyebrows. Clinton also attended a fundraiser for Gillibrand earlier this year.

Last year, both Gillibrand and Maloney backed Senator Hillary Clinton in her run against Senator Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. The former president has made a point of thanking former Hillary Clinton supporters.

A spokesman for the former president, in reports today, confirmed that Clinton would attend the fundraiser on July 20, but said Clinton agreed to the Maloney event well before the congresswoman decided to challenge Gillibrand.

A Quinnipiac University survey released Wednesday indicates Gillibrand trails Maloney in a hypothetical Democratic primary matchup, with 27 percent of those questioned supporting Maloney and 23 percent backing Gillibrand. Forty-four percent are undecided.

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday officially named former U.S. President Bill Clinton as special envoy to Haiti.

The position calls for Clinton to work to create jobs and access to basic services for the people of Haiti.

"All I want to do is help the Haitians take over control of their own destiny," Clinton said.

Clinton will be working from a plan that was created by the Haitian government.

"They produced, I thought, a very impressive program called 'Haiti: A New Paradigm,' and we intend to follow that," he said.

Clinton said his new job has four major goals: to support the Haitian government in implementing its program; to assist in the recovery effort with the same fervor as was shown toward countries affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004; to encourage more international private sector investments; and to encourage donors who have promised money for Haiti to honor their commitments.

Governments have pledged $353 million, with the biggest pledges coming from the Untied States, Canada and France. "The challenge now," Ban said, "is to turn these pledges into contributions."

He said he believes that Clinton can accomplish that.

Haiti's minister for foreign affairs, Alrich Nicolas said, "Our country and people could not hope for a better friend and advocate than Bill Clinton.

Clinton, who will be paid an annual salary of $1, added, "I believe Haiti is better positioned to make progress for all its people than at any time since I first visited in 1978."

In an article in an upcoming issue of New York Times Magazine, former President Clinton discusses his wife's new role as the country's top diplomat.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Bill Clinton's campaign-year resentment of President Obama is a thing of the past, according to a lengthy profile of the former president in Sunday's New York Times Magazine - but he hasn't quite come to terms with the Kennedy family's decision to back Obama over Hillary Clinton during the primary season.

Clinton reportedly has yet to make his peace with Sen. Ted Kennedy and the Massachusetts senator's niece, Caroline, over their high-profile endorsements of Barack Obama during the primaries.

The Times, also citing unnamed sources, says Clinton harbors hard feelings toward New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who held several posts in the Clinton administration but who chose to endorse Obama instead of Hillary Clinton.

The former president has adjusted to his wife's new role on the international stage. "She used to look forward to me coming home from wherever I've been," Clinton says in the magazine article. "Now I'm afraid I'll be second fiddle to whatever world leader she's just met.

Later, he added: "... We've reversed roles."

Clinton also made clear that his vast network of global contacts and knowledge of world affairs is always available to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "'If she asks, I tell her what I think,'" the former president says in the profile. "And if there's something that's going on that I feel that I have particular knowledge of, I say that.'"

Bill Clinton has been named the United Nations special envoy to Haiti.

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) – Former President Bill Clinton has been named U.N. special envoy to Haiti, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

"I am confident that President Clinton will bring energy, dynamism and focus to the task of mobilizing international support for Haiti's economic recovery and reconstruction," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.

The United Nations said that Clinton will help Haitian authorities "jump-start sustainable social and economic development."

"He will focus attention on the importance of new partnerships and efforts among the private sector, civil society, and donors, as well as strengthen local capacity, and create a more stable and prosperous future for the children of Haiti."

During his presidency, Clinton had been engaged in helping the impoverished Caribbean nation rebuild. Haiti, which the United Nations says is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has been badly hit by rising food and oil prices, devastating storms, and ongoing political instability.

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has been tapped as a United Nations special envoy to Haiti, U.N. officials confirmed on Monday.

An official announcement will be made Tuesday on the selection of the two-term president, officials said.

Full story

Bill Clinton is campaigning in Virginia for his friend Terry McAuliffe.

(CNN) – Bill Clinton is happy he can still dabble in the world of politics, even if Hillary Clinton can't.

Clinton said as much while campaigning in Norfolk on Thursday for his friend Terry McAuliffe, who is seeking the Virginia governorship.

"All of you know that we're very close friends," Clinton said of McAuliffe before the Virginia crowd. "All of you know that he did a great deal for me and our family."

"Hillary and I love him," Clinton continued. "And now that President Obama has given her a job that requires that she not ever participate in politics as long as she's Secretary of State, I'm the only one that can say that we love him."

HERNDON, Virginia (CNN) – Bill Clinton jokingly laughed off a question Wednesday about former Vice President Dick Cheney and his recent claims that the country is less safe under the Obama administration.

"I wish him well," Clinton told CNN while greeting voters after a campaign stop with Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe. "It's over," he added, apparently a reference to the Bush administration.

"But I do hope he gets some more target practice before he goes out again," Clinton said with a grin before moving along the ropeline.

The former president was alluding, of course, to Cheney's infamous 2006 hunting accident in which he mistakenly fired birdshot into the face of a campaign contributor during a South Texas quail hunt.

Bill Clinton is helping former DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe campaign for governor in Virginia.

HERNDON, Virginia (CNN) – To hear Bill Clinton tell it, Terry McAuliffe is destined to become the 71st governor of the commonwealth of Virginia.

“He was born to lead at this moment,” Clinton said of McAuliffe at a campaign rally in northern Virginia on Wednesday. It was the former president’s third appearance on behalf of his friend and longtime political ally, who is now in the final weeks of a tough three-way primary battle for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

The winner of that contest will face Republican Bob McDonnell, the state’s former attorney general, in the general election.

Clinton praised McAuliffe from all angles, making sure to plug the former Democratic National Committee chairman’s apparent mastery of Virginia issues. McAuliffe has struggled with the perception that he’s a newcomer to Virginia politics, while his two Democratic rivals have labored in the trenches of state government for more than a decade.

The former president even said that if every child were raised as McAuliffe’s five children were, “this country would have about half the problems it’s got.”

Clinton and McAuliffe made their pitch to about 200 voters at a park in the northern Virginia town of Herndon, standing on a stage just downwind of a ripe-smelling pig sty. They held a second, larger rally later in the day a few miles away in the Washington suburb of Annandale.

Clinton stressed that if elected, McAuliffe will be “socially progressive” but also fiscally responsible. “Everyone knows that this guy raised a lot of money for me,” Clinton said. “What I want you to know, every nickel he raised, he also talked to me about how to be careful spending it.”

He also said that McAuliffe has the work ethic to help President Barack Obama’s economic recovery plan achieve its goals.

“I think it was a good package and I supported it,” Clinton said of the president’s $787 billion stimulus bill. “But how well it works will vary from state to state, depending on the leadership the vision and the ability to follow through of the governor.”

The candidate himself spoke after Clinton and outlined his plans for renewable energy, transportation, education and job creation. He promised to bring a fresh perspective to the state house in Richmond.

McAuliffe said McDonnell - who is framing himself as pragmatic, solutions-oriented conservative - has “an ideological agenda” and criticized him for having campaigned with national Republicans like John McCain and Rudy Giuliani.

“They just announced they’re bringing Sarah Palin in,” he added, a claim that drew boos from the audience.

However, a spokesman for McDonnell denied that the Alaska governor will be campaigning in Virginia.

HERNDON, Virginia (CNN) – Bill Clinton jokingly laughed off a question Wednesday about former Vice President Dick Cheney and his recent claims that the country is less safe under the Obama administration.

"I wish him well," Clinton told CNN while greeting voters after a campaign stop with Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe. "It's over," he added, apparently a reference to the Bush administration.

"But I do hope he gets some more target practice before he goes out again," Clinton said with a grin before moving along the ropeline.

The former president was alluding, of course, to Cheney's infamous 2006 hunting accident in which he mistakenly fired birdshot into the face of a campaign contributor during a South Texas quail hunt.

Clinton will hit the campaign trail again.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Former President Bill Clinton is wading into Virginia’s Democratic primary for governor on behalf of his friend and long time political ally Terry McAuliffe.

McAuliffe's campaign announced Wednesday that Clinton will campaign alongside the Democratic contender on Monday in Richmond and Roanoke. It will mark the first time that the 42nd president has actively stumped for McAuliffe, a former Democratic National Committee chairman- turned gubernatorial candidate.

McAuliffe is locked in a contentious three-way primary battle with state Sen. Creigh Deeds and former House member Brian Moran.

The winner of that contest will face Republican Bob McDonnell in the general election.

McAuliffe makes no apologies for the kind of political firepower he’s bringing to the 2009 governor’s race, arguably the most-watched contest in this off-year election cycle. Of the $4.2 million he raised during the first three months of 2009, more than 80 percent of it came from out-of-state donors, many of whom McAuliffe knows from his years of involvement in national Democratic politics.

Clinton himself gave McAuliffe’s campaign a check for $10,000 in January.

Although Clinton headlined the Democratic Party of Virginia’s Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in February – a forum at which all three candidates appeared - he avoided any public endorsement of McAuliffe at the time.

And in a sign of the times, McAuliffe's campaign made the Clinton announcement Wednesday via text message.

“As a former Governor and good friend of Terry's, we think the President can speak to Terry's experience creating jobs and how that will help Virginia if Terry is in the Governor's office," McAuliffe spokesman Lis Smith said.

Former President Clinton told CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta that he was concerned when he noticed his hands sometimes shake. Watch the entire interview Thursday night on Larry King Live.

(CNN) – Former President Bill Clinton got personal in a wide-ranging interview with CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who is filing in for Larry King on Wednesday's Larry King Live.

When Gupta raised the issue of Clinton’s trademark finger wag, the former president interrupted the neurosurgeon.

“Sometimes it shakes,” Clinton said. “See, it’s a little shake,” he added as he lifted both hands, “but no shake here. I’ve been tested for it, I don’t have Parkinson’s.”

Clinton told Gupta he was “quite concerned” when he noticed his hands were shaking sometimes. “Because if I had Parkinson’s, I wanted to know so I could prepare. And I had it tested and the doctor said ‘no,’ he says it’s just a normal aging phenomenon.”

During the interview Clinton also discussed health care reform; stem cell research; and President Obama’s ambitious agenda on health care, energy, and education.

Watch Clinton and Gupta on CNN’s Larry King Live Thursday beginning at 9 pm Eastern time.

Sen. Gillibrand announced Monday that former Pres. Bill Clinton will appear at a fundraiser next month for her 2010 re-election bid. Gillibrand replaced Hillary Clinton in the Senate.

(CNN) – Former President Bill Clinton will headline a fundraiser for his wife’s Senate successor in New York City next month, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced Monday.

“Both Secretary of State Clinton and President Clinton embody the type of leadership I hope to bring to the State of New York,” said Gillibrand, in a message to supporters. “[A]nd President Clinton's willingness to show his early support for my candidacy could not mean more to me.”

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy of Long Island has been mentioned as a possible challenger to Gillibrand in a 2010 Democratic primary race. Rep. Peter King, a Republican from Nassau County, may seek to represent the GOP in the general election contest.