A7

By LEE-ANNE GOODMAN
The Canadian Press

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DENVER - Bill Clinton publicly put his bitterness behind him Wednesday, following the tone set by his wife a night earlier when he passionately urged the Democratic party to come together and stop another four years of Republican rule by propelling Barack Obama to the White House.

"I love this and I thank you but we have important work to do tonight," a chuckling Clinton said as the crowd greeted him with prolonged applause and cheers before he was able to speak.

He reminded the thousands of assembled Democrats that on Tuesday night, his wife, Hillary, assured the crowd she would do everything possible to ensure Obama, her onetime fierce rival for the Democratic nomination, made it to the White House.

"That makes two of us," Clinton, looking fit and rested, said to roars for the crowd.

"Barack Obama is the man for this job ... Barack Obama is ready to be president of the United States."

By most accounts, it must have been a difficult endorsement for the country's 42nd president to make, although there was little sign Wednesday night of the man said to still be fuming about his wife's loss to the Illinois senator.

The former Arkansas governor wasn't the night's keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention - that honour was reserved for Joe Biden, Obama's vice-presidential running mate - but his appearance was among the most hotly anticipated of the four-day event due to rumours about his lingering anger over his wife's loss.

He's been in Denver since Tuesday, but had said nothing publicly that suggested his wounds had healed.

"Must be killing him," Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said earlier this week.

Clinton established a lucrative niche for himself as an adored senior statesman and sought-after public speaker when he left the White House after two terms in 2000, but that was before his wife's unsuccessful run for the presidency.