Tuesday 9 a.m

The full court press continues. Former President Bill Clinton is due to speak at the gymnasium at the Y on

The crowd isn’t huge, no more than a couple hundred, but at this point small gatherings count. The crowds Saturday at the caucus itself aren’t expected to be large. However, their impact on the race may be.

A different setting, different atmosphere from  yesterday’s big Obama rally. Small venue, small crowd. Only local media, little of the choreography of the big rally, no warm up music. A few Hillary signs on the walls, one on the podium (which he doesn’t use), but it’s still a gymnasium.

After days of increasing sniping between the campaigns, the former president was at pains to strike a positive tone, noting his longtime personal ties to just about every Democrat in the original field, noting he went to Illinois to campaign for Barack Obama. Then, microphone in hand, stalking a low stage, he hits all the major themes—the mortgage crisis, health care, energy policy, foreign policy,  two Nevada issues, Yucca Mountain and Lake Tahoe and a final pitch to turn out Saturday for Hillary. Only mention of the Then takes questions. immigration. Education. ’s role in the world.

A self-identified Republican in the crowd throws a high hard one at the president’s head. ‘I know where you are on the issues. I know where your wife is. What I want to know is where is your marriage?”

Boos from the crowd, but the former president quiets them. “It’s a legitimate question,” he says, then quoting Republican Mike Huckabee. “We don’t agree on anything,” he says of the fellow Arkansan, “but we’re friends. And I’m proud to say he’s defended us saying ‘I don’t understand how you can criticize people for keeping their marriage together.’”

Big applause. But the biggest comes as Mr. Clinton asks for a final question. Instead a man from the crowd rises and says “I just want to thank you for being here and being president. We miss you.” Cheers and standing ovation.

I’m reminded of the last time I covered him—at this summer’s 10^th Annual Tahoe Summit.  Just as this morning, the former president unscripted, flawlessly weaved, science, public policy, global and local issues and political pitch all with a measure of humor.  On that occasion, a prominent Washoe County Republican walked up to me afterward, ruefully shaking his head.  “If he was on the ballot again, he’d win in a landslide.”  Maybe so. I don’t know. But whatever else he is or isn’t. However, you feel about him, even his critics admit he can be a formidable combination of skilled communicator and policy wonk. Whether it translates to support for Hillary is a question to be answered.