05/12/2008

By JOSEPH B. FRAZIER  / Associated Press

With the Democratic presidential nomination slipping from his wife's grasp, former President Bill Clinton urged residents from Eastern Oregon to Western Oregon to give her an important victory in the state's upcoming primary.

Clinton told a group of about 125 labor union members in Portland he had "no earthly idea" why some people want Hillary Rodham Clinton to leave the race. He closed with what sounded like a plea for continued faith in his wife, even as more superdelegates move to Barack Obama's column.

"She has been declared dead more times than a cat has lives," he said. "But you don't want the person in the Oval Office to quit on you when the going gets tough."

Clinton's on a three-day, 13-city swing through the state. He visits Corvallis, Eugene and three coastal cities on Monday before heading to Roseburg, Grants Pass and Klamath Falls on Tuesday.

On Sunday, he made appearances in three rural communities before returning to Portland later in the day. In Pendleton, Baker City and Redmond, Clinton touted his wife's economic, education, energy and health care policies.

Clinton said his wife had short- and long-term plans for improving the economy, first by creating new jobs to repair the nation's bridges, roads and rail lines. In the long term, he said, she'll support homegrown energy sources and spend "serious money" to get drivers into energy-efficient vehicles, homes and buildings.

Though Republicans outnumber Democrats in Eastern Oregon, the former president didn't have to win over Marilyn Smiley, 63, of Pendleton, who supported President Clinton in his two terms and backs his wife now.

"Maybe I'm a woman of a certain age. There is a woman of a certain age who realizes what she's accomplished, and I'm hopeful for her," she said.

In Baker City, locals couldn't remember a presidential campaign stop since Robert Kennedy passed through in the 1960s. News of the Clinton appearance resulted in a wave of head scratching as residents wondered how they made the list.

"I don't know why he's here," said Jay Raffety, a 46-year-old bar owner and registered Republican.

The last-minute campaign stop sent local officials scrambling as they were only notified on Friday, said Fred Warner Jr., chair of the Baker County Commission.

"I'm really glad somebody recognized that this far east there are voters," Warner said.

In Redmond, a crowd of roughly 300 showed up at a middle school auditorium. "I think it's admirable he came out here to talk to us," said Gloria Kopanski, who moved to Central Oregon from Las Vegas after retirement.

Kopanski's husband missed the event to play golf. Also not in attendance was Brian Sheaye, a farmworker from Terrebonne who said Clinton's visit makes you "wonder who's running and who'll run it."

To have any chance of running it, Rodham Clinton must overcome Obama, who has an all but insurmountable lead in pledged delegates and has erased the New York senator's advantage among superdelegates.

Though he argued that his wife would be more competitive against Republican John McCain in November, Clinton told the crowd in Pendleton that Democrats must unify regardless of who wins the nomination.

"Whatever happens, we're all going to be united in the fall, because we need to be to take this country back."

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Associated Press writers Jessie Bonner, Shannon Dininny and Julia Silverman contributed to this report.