Bill Clinton, Barack Obama's most strident foe during the primary campaign (perhaps even more so than his wife, the rival candidate), has said he will campaign for Obama "whenever he asks." "He is busier than I am on politics anyway, so I just told him whenever he wanted to do it I was ready," Bubba told reporters yesterday. "So it is basically on their timetable." You'll recall Clinton failed to impress Obama supporters last month when he issued a seemingly tepid statement of support, saying he is “obviously committed to doing whatever he can and is asked to do to ensure Senator Obama is the next president of the United States.” This level of commitment seems like a step up.

As an aside during his comments yesterday, Clinton said that he had “given no thought” to whether he would speak at the Democratic National Convention, where his wife will take a prominent role. Which we obviously don't buy, because he's got to be spending plenty of time thinking of how to restore his prestige in the Democratic Party after his uneven performances during the primary. But it at least indicates that he hasn't been offered a role at the convention yet.

Meanwhile, in happier news, Mayor Bloomberg is throwing a party for Hillary Clinton when she comes back to New York. And people won't even have to pay $2,300 to go. How's that for fun?

Bloomberg to Host ‘Welcome Back’ Fete for Clinton [NYT]
Bill Clinton Will Campaign for Obama "Whenever He Asks" [Fox News]