MUSCATINE - Former President Bill Clinton vouched for his wife's experience in a nearly hour-long talk here today, telling people she's the most experienced nonincumbent who's run for the office in 40 years.

The former president was making the first of three stops in eastern Iowa campaigning for Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. He also was heading to DeWitt, then on to Peosta.

Clinton, while not acknowledging the complaints of his wife's rivals that her experience claims are suspect, ticked off a litany of problems she's worked on over the years, both during his tenure in the White House and while he was governor of Arkansas.

"I believe with all my heart she is the best-qualified, best-suited person who's a nonincumbent that I've ever had a chance to vote for," he said.

Clinton said that she led an education reform effort in Arkansas.

"She did that. She had no office," he said. And he told of her efforts to bring Catholic and Protestant women together in Ireland and of her declaration in China that women's rights were human rights.

Peppering his remarks with words like "Hillary says," "she believes" and "Hillary's proposed," the ex-president also gave a defense of sorts of his own trade policies, saying the Bush administration hasn't enforced those deals.

Deals, like the Clinton-era North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, have been criticized in Iowa, particularly in the eastern part of the state, because of their impact on the manufacturing base.

Even Sen. Clinton has said there should be a time-out on trade deals.

"I made deals, but I enforced them, too," the former president said.

Judy Kemper of Muscatine said she was undecided before today and that Clinton convinced her to vote for his wife.

"With them in the White House again, it would be wonderful," Kemper said.

Sen. Clinton is locked in a tight battle with Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina in Iowa. Recent polls have shown Obama gaining, while Clinton has faltered. That has led her to step up attacks on her rivals.

In addition to the public appearances scheduled for Muscatine and DeWitt, Clinton made stops at the Hamburg Inn in Iowa City and the Muscatine Family Restaurant, where he mixed with patrons, posed with a couple of children and spoke briefly with reporters.

He played down the idea that he and Oprah Winfrey, who will campaign in Iowa next week for Obama, are in any kind of competition.

"I like Oprah Winfrey, we're friends," he said.

Contact Ed Tibbetts at (563) 383-2327 or etibbetts@qctimes.com.