Former President Bill Clinton Talks ’08 Politics’

ABC News’ Sunlen Miller Reports: Former President Bill Clinton appeared on CNN’s "Larry King Live" Thursday evening in his first television appearance since his wife announced her candidacy for president.

Clinton commented on the strong democratic field of candidates vying for the nomination, "We have got a good field. No one has to vote against anybody. And that means that people are free to vote for the person who is most likely to be the best president."

When asked what host Larry King dubbed as the "Obama threat," Clinton said he’s not surprised by Illinois Senator Barack Obama, "he is a very gifted man politically."

Analyzing the Republican side, Clinton pointed out that it is still so early and he does not know which Republican candidate he fears most.

"I still think Senator McCain is a very durable character. He is a very admirable man," and speaking abut the former governor Mitt Romney R-Mass., "(he) raised a lot of money and has done some important things in his life."

Speaking about the other New Yorker in the race, Republican and former mayor Rudy Giuliani, Clinton said, "…he is sort of frozen in time in a very good way for himself on 9/11, whereby comparison to others he looked very good. I mean, he had served well. But all of the other issues that might be brought into play are only now beginning to creep into the public consciousness."

On his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton’s D-N.Y., run for presidency, the former president commented, "I think it would be best for the country if she were elected president. But if voters make another choice, she is a great senator and she loves her job and we will have a good life."

Clinton went on to defend his wife’s 2002 vote for the Iraq war which has turned into a sticky campaign issue for her, "She has had some difficulty because of the insistence of some people in characterizing the vote on the Iraq War Resolution back in 2002, saying that everybody who voted for that voted for the war."

Clinton explains framing it this way is factually inaccurate, "…if you read the resolution, it says that the president is authorized to attack Saddam Hussein if the diplomatic efforts, that is, the inspections, fail," and went on to insist, "I think the reason she hasn’t apologized is she believes that some future president, even if it is not her, some future president may need coercive inspections, the U.N. may need it in the future."

When asked by King how much he would be campaigning for his wife, Clinton responded, "I don’t think it’s helpful, really, for me to be out there too much now. I try to do some of Hillary’s fundraising here in New York because they will accept me…" but said he would be helpful with whatever he is asked to do.

Looking ahead, Clinton also spoke to his role if Senator Clinton were to win the White House, Clinton debunked the myth by saying it would be illegal if he’d be allowed to be secretary of state, but kept the door open to any involvement his wife would allow, " if she asks me to do something, whatever it was, I would probably do it."