President Clinton took his farewell from the Democratic convention with an attack on the Republican portrayal of his economic record and a strong defence of the Vice-President, Mr Al Gore, who he said was "always there" when tough decisions had to be made.
The President was angered as he prepared his valedictory address to the 5,500 delegates by Republican claims that he and Mr Gore deserved little of the credit for the booming economy. Mr Clinton said, according to extracts released before his speech at 3.30 this morning (Irish time) that the US is "more confident and hopeful and just" than when he and Mr Gore took over from the Republicans.
"Al Gore is the man to keep this progress and prosperity going by paying down the debt, investing in education and health care and in family tax cuts we can afford."
There were several protest marches to the convention centre before Mr Clinton spoke. About 10 demonstrators described as "environmental activists" were arrested in scuffles with police.
In a clear riposte to Governor George Bush's claim at the Republican convention, Mr Clinton said: "To those who say the progress of the last eight years was an accident, that we coasted along, let's be clear. America's success was not a matter of chance. It was a matter of choice."
The President and Mrs Clinton, who was also to address the convention, prepared to leave Los Angeles after a series of farewell parties. Mr Clinton was scheduled to meet Mr Gore in Michigan for a symbolic "passing of the torch."
The Gore campaign had been concerned about the huge publicity surrounding the President and First Lady as they spent the past five days at a series of fundraisers at glamorous Hollywood homes while the Vice-President and his running mate, Senator Joe Lieberman, campaigned more than 1,000 miles away.
The White House chief of staff, Mr John Podesta, said yesterday that the President knows that "it's his moment to get off the stage and let someone else get on the stage and do the job".
For his farewell address, Mr Clinton studied the one made by President Ronald Reagan in New Orleans in 1988 when he was handing over to Vice President George Bush. Clinton aides said he would identify the promises made by himself and Mr Gore in 1992 and declare that they delivered on them. These would include balancing the budget, halving the number of welfare recipients, free trade agreements and investment in education.
The President also intended to urge delegates to work hard to close the gap in the polls between Mr Gore and Governor Bush. "We can turn around these polls but it's not the work of a day. It's going to take every day from now until November," he told Democrats at a party function here.
A CNN/Time poll at the weekend showed Mr Gore trailing Mr Bush by 16 points among "likely voters". This was at variance with an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll last week showing only three points between them. A series of other polls last week gave Mr Bush a double-digit lead.