Clinton to Play Major Role at DNC Convention

(Newsroom America) -- Former President Bill Clinton will play a major role at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., next month, aides said, including a prime-time speech and formally placing President Barack Obama's name into nomination.

His speech will be designed to present a forceful economic argument as to why Obama should be given a second term, The New York Times reported, an indication that the president likely realizes how important the issue is voters as unemployment remains high and GDP growth flat.

Also, the paper said, the decision to feature Clinton prominently is an attempt by the Obama campaign to rally its Democratic base and appeal to voters around the country who will watch the convention on television.

"There isn’t anybody on the planet who has a greater perspective on not just the last four years, but the last two decades, than Bill Clinton," said Obama's chief campaign strategist, David Axelrod, in an interview on Sunday. "He can really articulate the choice that is before people."

Vice President Joseph Biden Jr. is scheduled to appear on the final night of the convention. He, too, will make the case as to why Obama deserves another four years by touting the administration's accomplishments in through a difficult economic period.

The decision to give Clinton such a position of prominence at the convention is unusual but not without precedent, the paper said. It appears to be another milestone in what has been, at times, a contentious relationship between the two presidents.

Clinton, who is one of the most popular figures within the Democratic Party, offered somewhat of a truce to Obama in 2008, when he offered an endorsement during the Democratic National Convention following a bruising nomination process between Obama and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

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