Bill Clinton entered the race on October 3, 1991.

[calteacherguy]

My how times have changed...or have they?

Announcement Speech
Old State House, Little Rock, Arkansas
October 3, 1991

Thank you all for being here today, for your friendship and support, for giving me the opportunity to serve as your Governor for 11 years, for filling my life full of blessings beyond anything I ever deserved.

I want to thank especially Hillary and Chelsea for taking this big step in our life's journey together. Hillary, for being my wife, my friend, and my partner in our efforts to build a better future for the children and families of Arkansas and America. Chelsea, in ways she is only now coming to understand, has been our constant joy and reminder of what our public efforts are really all about: a better life for all who will work for it, a better future for the next generation.

All of you, in different ways, have brought me here today, to step beyond a life and a job I love, to make a commitment to a larger cause: Preserving the American Dream ... Restoring the hopes of the forgotten middle class... Reclaiming the future for our children.

I refuse to be part of a generation that celebrates the death of Communism abroad with the loss of the American Dream at home.

I refuse to be part of a generation that fails to compete in the global economy and so condemns hard-working Americans to a life of struggle without reward or security.

That is why I stand here today...because I refuse to stand by and let our children become part of the first generation to do worse than their parents. I don't want my child or your child to be part of a country that's coming apart instead of coming together.

Over 25 years ago, I had a professor at Georgetown who taught me that America was the greatest country in history because our people believed in and acted on two simple ideas: first, that the future can be better than the present; and second, that each of us has a personal, moral responsibility to make it so.

more (much more, naturally ;-))...http://www.4president.org/speeches/billclinton1992announcement.htm

[saltpoint]

1. It was lucky for Bill Clinton that Mario Cuomo did not enter the race

on the eve of the deadline for the New Hampshire primary.

Cuomo enjoyed significant support among New Hampshire Democrats. The much-less-known Governor of Arkansas did not.

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BG&p_theme=bg&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EADDFA9BB23BA19&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM

Cuomo had decided to enter the race. His plane was fueling on the tarmac in Albany.

A call came in, or went out, and Cuomo was on one end and Bill Clinton on the other. No one knows what ws exchanged. Minutes later, Cuomo sent someone out to tell the pilot to cut the engine and cancel the flight to New Hampshire.

There could be another late entry, or two, or three in 2007 for the 08 nomination. We are yet to officially hear unequivocal denials from Al Gore, Wesley Clark and Gary Hart.

Politics.

[Major Hogwash]

6. Perot spilt the vote in 1992 or else it would have been George Bush for a 2nd term.

But, try telling that fact to people who adore Bill "Mr. Third Way DLC" Clinton and you will find yourself pushing a rock up a hill.

Yet, those very same people now want Hillary to go to the White House, ignoring the fact that she was sleeping with the ex-President on October 10, 2002 when she voted for the IWR the next day.

If someone tells you that Bill didn't roll over in bed and have "pillow talk" with Hillary about how to vote on the Iraq War Resolution, don't believe it for a second.

Bill knew there were no WMD's in Iraq on his last day in office on January 20th, 2001.
Hillary got advice from the ex-President.

She voted for the war.
Because she wanted it.

[napi21]

2. True, but all these early primaries this time makes that very

trickey if not imposible!

[PurityOfEssence]

8. Yep, and entirely different kettle of fish.

The effective primary season that year was something like six months. This time around, it'll be less than one; we'll probably know who the nominee is after Super-duper Tuesday on February 5th.

Gore or Clark can really mess things up if they don't make up their minds VERY soon.

[Alexander]

3. Yet certain DUers keep telling us it's "too late" for Gore to run...

Or anyone else for that matter.

Pure horse plop.

[CTyankee]

7. But did Clinton have a nationwide campaign apparatus being

put together, or already there, by the October announcement?

Don't get me wrong, I would love to vote for Al Gore again for President. But who knows, maybe there is enough of a shadow campaign going on in the states that he can fund, activate and manage on rather quick notice? You know, the state by state politicking that is necessary to get all of your ducks in a row, so to speak.

Guess we'll see...

[AtomicKitten]

4. Gore still has time.

[Yukari Yakumo]

5. Question is... Would he make much of a difference? {nt}

[saltpoint]

9. Gore has become a lot taller than he already is owing to the Bush

election theft in 2000.

There's a kind of progressive aura to the man these days that wasn't all that visible in 2000. There's almost a messianic destiny to a Gore entrance into the 08 nomination race.

I think he's real interested in the job. I think it may depend on whether there looks like something of a tangle among delegate loyalty by early October or so. I think name recognition and fundraising wouldn't be obstacles. I think it would shake and bake the nomination race to the core.