Published: March 08, 2008 11:53 pm      

Bill stumps for Hillary

Former president speaks at MCC

Former President Bill Clinton confirmed Saturday what Adrian Naylor already knew.

"Hillary is the best person to lead this country, and she's ready to lead from Day 1," said Naylor, a longtime supporter of Hillary Clinton's campaign for president. And after listening to the former president talk about his wife's plans for the country if elected, the Meridian native is ready to cast his vote during Tuesday's Mississippi primary.

Meridian was the last of a two-day campaign across the state by Clinton for his wife before the primary. Earlier in the day, Clinton appeared at events in Pass Christian, Biloxi and Ellisville.

"We're very pleased that President Clinton has chosen to come to Mississippi and to come here to Meridian," said Melba Clark, chairman of the Lauderdale County Democratic Executive Committee. "For a number of years, our state has been overlooked by the national candidates. It's a good gathering here, and I'm pleased to see a great cross-section of people of all races and ages."

An estimated crowd of 500-plus assembled at Graham Gymnasium on the Meridian Community College campus for the campaign event. And though Clinton was delayed for more than an hour, it did not appear to dampen the spirits of those gathered. They sat patiently and became even more hyped when large red, white and blue cardboard signs with "Hillary for President" were distributed throughout the room. Some posed with their signs while being photographed by friends and family with cameras and cellphones.

And when the man of the hour appeared, they yelled and cheered, waving their signs high so that Clinton could see them as he made it to the podium.

Introduced by popular author John Grisham, who noted that "It takes a Clinton to beat Republicans," Clinton began his 45-minute presentation talking about the excitement the election has generated.

"This is an amazing election," he said. "Most people haven't seen anything like this and most people thought it would be over before we got to Mississippi – but it's not. I don't want it to be over until the last people vote in Puerto Rico on June 7."

He also touched on the historical significance of the election, particularly the possibility of the United States electing it's first female or African American president. But Clinton said voters must elect "the best" president.

Clinton detailed his wife's plans to improve the American economy – noting that "she has the best ideas for turning this economy around. He also talked about her healthcare plan, her plans for bringing the troops back home from Iraq, her plans to reform the national flood insurance program and criticized the Bush administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina.

"It was very dynamic; he really told the basics of Hillary's platform," said Martha Williams of Meridian. Williams said she is still undecided about who she plans to vote for, "but I'm much clearer about some issues."