WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton is set to play a central part in the Democratic convention, aides said, and will formally place President Obama ’s name into nomination by delivering a prime-time speech designed to present a forceful economic argument for why Mr. Obama deserves to win a second term. 
 
 The prominent role of Mr. Clinton, which is scheduled to be announced on Monday, signals an effort by the Obama campaign to pull out all the stops to rally Democrats when they gather for their party’s national convention in Charlotte, N.C. An even more important audience will be the voters across the country who will see the address carried by television networks. 
 
 “There isn’t anybody on the planet who has a greater perspective on not just the last four years, but the last two decades, than Bill Clinton,” David Axelrod, a top strategist to the Obama campaign, said in an interview on Sunday. “He can really articulate the choice that is before people.” 
 
 Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will appear on the final night of the convention, making the case for Mr. Obama before the largest audience of the week during an outdoor speech at the Bank of America Stadium. The vice president and Mr. Obama will appear together on stage before they accept the party’s nomination for a second term in the White House. 
 
 It is unusual in recent election cycles, although not without precedent, for the vice president not to get the stage to himself during a night at the convention. But in his speech, aides said, Mr. Biden is expected to remind Americans about the last four years and the administration’s accomplishments in a difficult economic climate. 
 
 The invitation for Mr. Clinton to be center stage at the convention signifies another milestone in the complicated and evolving relationship between the two presidents. 
 
 At the party’s convention in Denver four years ago, all eyes were on Mr. Clinton as he offered a full-throated endorsement of Mr. Obama in a speech that served as something of a truce after a contentious primary fight with his wife. 
 
 For Mr. Clinton, who has become one of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party, the speech will be among the most high-profile roles yet that he has assumed for Mr. Obama. The address is intended to offer a strong contrast with the Republican ticket and will be closely watched, particularly given a string of blunt statements — and retractions — that Mr. Clinton has made this year when talking about the Obama administration. 
 
 For example, Mr. Clinton called for temporarily extending all of the tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year, including the Bush-era rates, which put him at odds with the president. He later apologized for those comments, but not before the Republican National Committee seized on the controversy. 
 
 Cheney on ’08 Palin Choice 
 
 Dick Cheney said on Sunday that Sarah Palin was not ready in 2008 to be his successor as vice president and that Senator John McCain’s decision was “a mistake” that Mitt Romney should seek to avoid making in his own choice of running mate. 
 
 Speaking to ABC News in his first interview since undergoing a heart transplant in March, Mr. Cheney said Mr. McCain’s choice clearly reflected considerations other than Ms. Palin’s ability to serve as vice president. 
 
 Asked whether a presidential candidate should consider how well a vice-presidential nominee might appeal in a particular state or to a demographic group, Mr. Cheney said, “Those are important issues, but they should never be allowed to override that first proposition.” ||||| 5 years ago 
 
 Washington (CNN) - Former President Bill Clinton will play a prominent role at the Democratic convention in Charlotte by giving a major speech and placing President Barack Obama's name into nomination, the Democratic National Convention Committee announced on Tuesday. 
 
 The former president will give a primetime speech on Wednesday, September 5, in which he is expected to starkly lay out the differences in the economic policies of the two parties and describe why Obama is the best choice compared to presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney, the aide said. 
 
 
 
 - Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker 
 
 - Follow Kevin Bohn on Twitter: @KevinBohnCNN. 
 
 The campaign believes Clinton can deliver a forceful fiscal message that it hopes can resonate especially with the middle class and is someone who can uniquely tout how he left the country with a surplus which was later erased by Republicans. 
 
 The choice to feature Clinton is expected to be formally announced Monday. 
 
 The former president is expected to emphasize how Obama's plan will help the middle class - a major general election constituency, the campaign aide told CNN. 
 
 While Clinton and Obama have had a rocky political relationship, the choice to feature the former president is a recognition of his continuing popularity and unique ability to deliver an economic message that will resonate with voters. 
 
 Republicans pounced on Clinton's appearance, saying it was proof of Obama's electoral weaknesses. 
 
 “After four years of trillion-dollar deficits and anemic economic growth, it’s clear President Obama would love to run on President Clinton’s record in office. But no amount of showmanship can paper over the differences between these two presidents. Americans deserve a president willing to run on his own record, not the record he wishes he had," Ryan Williams, a Romney Campaign Spokesman, said in a statement. 
 
 Because the former president will speak Wednesday that means Vice President Joe Biden will make his primetime speech Thursday night - the final evening of the convention when Obama accepts the nomination and gives his address. 
 
 The campaign will build that evening - occurring before tens of thousands at Bank of America Stadium - as a powerful 1-2 punch and the focal point for the convention. The vice president will precede Obama by talking about the the successes the administration has had and challenges it has faced in the first term as he introduces the president, the aide said. 
 
 There is expected to be a primetime professional football game Wednesday night so organizers have decided to put both of its two major attractions on the last night for maximum exposure. 
 
 The New York Times first reported Clinton's convention role and the vice president's speech timing. 
 
 Note: an original version of the story reported Clinton's appearance would be Tuesday.
– He's back. Bill Clinton will play a major role in the upcoming Democratic National Convention, and will be the one to place Barack Obama's name into nomination after an address hammering home an economic argument for the president's reelection, reports the New York Times. Clinton is expected to help skewer the GOP by underscoring his experience as a Democratic president who left a surplus for his Republican successor to squander, aides have told CNN. “There isn’t anybody on the planet who has a greater perspective on not just the last four years, but the last two decades, than Bill Clinton,” Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod tells the Times. “He can really articulate the choice that is before people.” The prime-time speech in Charlotte will mark perhaps the most significant event to date in Clinton's support for the president, who defeated Hillary Clinton for the nomination the last time around in a sometimes acrimonious race. Vice President Joe Biden will appear on the final night of the convention to make a speech for Obama before tens of thousands of people at the outdoor Bank of America Stadium, and will appear on stage with the president as they accept the nomination.