Former President Bill Clinton rallied to the defense of an one-time adversary on Wednesday, arguing that U.S. President Barack Obama cannot be blamed for a bad economy he inherited and must be re-elected to restore strong growth and create jobs.

The Democrats' most popular elder statesman, Clinton caps the second night of the Democratic National Convention with a speech designed to remind voters of the budget surpluses and job growth he led in the 1990s during his two terms in the White House.