Clinton Will Rise From Sick Bed to Join Campaign

Bill Clinton, once known on the campaign trail as Elvis for his superstar, crowd-pleasing charms, will rise from his sick bed next week to come to John Kerry's aid, six weeks after a quadruple bypass operation.

Mr Clinton's last-ditch intervention, starting on Monday in Philadelphia in a joint appearance with Mr Kerry, comes in the face of resistance from his wife. Senator Hillary Clinton is concerned that the former president could endanger his health so soon after the operation.

"Hillary has been fighting this all along, but we'll get a few appearances," said a senior Democratic official who was involved in the negotiations over Mr Clinton's participation. "He really wants to do this. He watches every detail of the race. He knows more about it than I do."

The charisma of the 58-year-old former president has made him a figure of adulation among the Democratic faithful, but his participation may be a double-edged sword.

He also galvanises Conservatives, who hold him in contempt for the Monica Lewinsky scandal. For that reason, Al Gore did not call on his help four years ago - a decision much criticised by Democratic activists.

A Kerry spokesman, Joe Lockhart, said Mr Clinton, who has been convalescing at his home in Chappaqua, New York, will make several solo campaign stops next week, after his joint appearance with Mr Kerry.

Mr Clinton's office in Harlem yesterday issued a short statement saying he was "pleased to be able to help John Kerry in this very important campaign for the future of our country".

Mr Clinton has also agreed to tape a message to be sent out to voters' home telephones, and he may also record a radio advertisement.

At a Tuesday night campaign event, Mr Kerry said he had spoken by phone to Mr Clinton, who had encouraged him, saying White House "scare tactics" would backfire.

The White House is countering Mr Clinton's imminent return by taking the unusual step of sending the president's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, out on the campaign trail.

It is an unprecedented step, since national security advisers do not normally take part in campaign politics, but the White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, yesterday defended the decision, saying Ms Rice had been invited to speak at a number of venues.

Mr Clinton's reappearance on the political scene comes at a time when Mr Kerry is running neck-and-neck with the president in some polls and trailing in others.

A tracking poll by the Washington Post and ABC television put George Bush five percentage points ahead, but it offered a spark of hope to Mr Kerry. He is winning by 54% to 43% among first-time voters, which suggests a high turnout on November 2 will be in his favour.

The two rivals pressed on with their high-mileage campaigning yesterday, sniping at each other as they criss-crossed the midwest in search of crucial swing votes.

"The president says he's a leader. Well, Mr President, look behind you, there's hardly anyone there," Mr Kerry said, pointing out considerable allied opposition to the war. "It's not leadership if we haven't built the strongest alliance possible and if America is going almost alone." Mr Bush hit back, saying his challenger was guilty of a "fundamental misunderstanding" of the so-called war on terror.

In a contest increasingly influenced by religion, America's attorney general, John Ashcroft, claimed divine intervention in helping to keep the country safe from terrorist attack since 2001.

"For three years our nation has been blessed," Mr Ashcroft told the US chamber of commerce in Washington. "But the hand of providence has been assisted by the dedicated men and women of the department of justice. In three years, we have compiled a record of achievement that is impressive by peacetime standards."