Yesterday, it was Bill Clinton who served as the warm-up act. A "Hillary" button pinned to the center of his blue golf shirt, Clinton reeled off his wife's senatorial achievements, her early decision to eschew profitable jobs at law firms in favor of a career with the Children's Defense Fund, her ability to restore America's international image "virtually overnight." It was, as one spectator later commented, a glimpse of Clinton as cheerleader, a role he's likely to grow accustomed to during the months-long presidential campaign ahead.

"I want to tell you one thing from my heart," Clinton told a roughly 1,000-strong crowd at Keene High School's athletic field, in his first visit to New Hampshire with his wife since she announced her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. "I'd be doing this event if we were not married. Because in my lifetime, I believe she's the best-prepared non-incumbent I've ever had the chance to vote for."

Yesterday's visit was filled with nostalgia, as Clinton revisited scenes from campaigns past in the state he frequently credits with breathing new life into his 1992 presidential bid. "I love this town," Clinton said, touching his hands to his chest to underscore the sentiment before launching into a description of a meeting he held in Keene early in his 1992 primary campaign, when he lagged behind other candidates in the polls. A good turnout, an event organizer told Clinton, would be 150 voters: The meeting drew 400, forcing organizers to add a second room.

"I thought, 'I might actually win this election,' " Clinton said, prompting applause from spectators who waited nearly two hours for the Clintons to arrive (a Senate vote delayed Hillary Clinton). "I first realized it in Keene, New Hampshire."

Introduction complete, Clinton moved to a stool on the stage, where he sat throughout his wife's stump speech, nodding and applauding as she called for universal health care, an overhaul of the federal No Child Left Behind law and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Hillary Clinton added a new cause to her campaign yesterday, calling for an end to a tax loophole that allows some Wall Street investment managers to pay lower tax rates than working-class Americans. Some managers pay the 15 percent capital gains tax rate, rather than an income tax rate of up to 35 percent, she said.

"With all due respect, it is not rich people who made America what it is today," Hillary Clinton said to a roughly 1,000-strong crowd in Nashua, before heralding the "middle class" as the nation's backbone. The Clintons later held a rally in Manchester, which drew about 2,000 people, according to news reports.

Time and again, the Clintons stressed Hillary Clinton's political experience, the relationships she established around the world during her time as first lady, her ability to take command from her first day in office. Although Bill Clinton complimented his wife's Democratic rivals - "I like this primary field; I'm not mad at anybody" - he described the importance of knowing how to deflect Republican attacks. "That's another reason to be for Hillary: She's pretty good at that incoming fire business."

No political couple has faced more scrutiny than the Clintons. On their trip to Iowa earlier this month - their first major joint campaign appearance since she announced her candidacy - political observers pored over his body language. Pundits have opined about the possible benefits and pitfalls of Clinton taking a public role in his wife's campaign.

But although some spectators expressed disappointment with the final years of Clinton's presidency ("He let his personal life become the story," said Vaughn West of Keene), most viewed the former president with affection, and were thrilled by his arrival on the campaign trail. Signs bearing the words "Clinton country" dotted the crowd, and several onlookers described themselves as through-and-through Clinton supporters.

"Would I be happy going back to the Clinton years? Absolutely," said Michael Schuman of Keene. "I think he was the best president of my lifetime. I'm ready for another good, moderate politician."

Yesterday's events were more akin to political rock concerts than the town-hall-style events Hillary Clinton typically holds in New Hampshire. The couple ascended the risers with Hillary Clinton's campaign song (Celine Dion's "You and I") blaring in the background, and applause frequently interrupted their speeches. When they took the stage in Keene, the couple spent several moments pointing to supporters in the crowd. At the end of each event, a crush of onlookers swarmed the barricades around the risers, eager for autographs. The Clintons readily complied, staying late to sign campaign flyers and copies of their books.

"Clinton is not an unadulterated asset to his spouse, but he's an asset to her campaign," said Michael Birkner, a history professor at Gettysburg College. One of his contributions, Birkner said, "will be buzz and crowds."

Clinton's speaking and campaigning skills are unparalleled, several spectators said. "Bill Clinton's the best campaigner I've seen in my life," said Tom McGrath of Pepperell, Mass., who plans to support Hillary Clinton "on her own merits." But Hillary Clinton's speaking style, if less folksy and conversational than her husband's, also won over voters yesterday, some said.

"She was a better speaker than I expected," said Dorothy Bacon, of Jaffrey. "I think she did just as well as he did." Bacon worried that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama lacked experience. Hillary Clinton, she said, "has the experience."

And for some voters who came to the event undecided about which candidate to support, Hillary Clinton's speech served her well. "Hillary's a wiz," said Lydia Johnson of Nashua. "They're a great team."

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