Obama Focuses on Rural Policy

Democratic presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., and his wife Michelle embrace after she introduced him at a campaign event at the fairgrounds Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007 in Atlantic, Iowa. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) (M. Spencer Green - AP)

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RENO, Nev. (AP) _ Former President Bill Clinton says world leaders tell him they already have a favorite for the 2008 presidential race.

"Every single political leader I talk to says, 'I hope your wife wins. We want the world to like America again,'" Clinton told people at a political rally he attended Friday after a speech at Lake Tahoe.

Clinton said his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, will help restore the nation's standing in the world.

"This is the first election in my lifetime where a substantial number of Americans will actually cast their vote based on what they think the rest of the world will think about America," he said.

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Associated Press writers Duncan Mansfield in Knoxville, Tenn., Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Ark., and Scott Sonner in Reno, Nev., contributed to this report.

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