DENVER, Colo. -- First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton hit the road Monday to campaign for health reform, leaving behind the Whitewater affair, which had diverted energy and attention from her No. 1 priority.
Clinton was taking advice of Senate Democrats, who urged her to push for President Clinton's plan.
"I've been talking about health care for more than a year," Clinton said, "and I'm going to keep on talking about health care and we're going to get it done."
Today, she is in St. Louis for health events, accompanied by Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., House sponsor of the overhaul.
Monday, in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, she appealed to 5,000 students and faculty members at the University of Colorado in Boulder for their help in reforming what she calls a broken system.
Speaking without notes and sounding like she was stumping on the political trail, Clinton told the gathering: "I want you to know what the facts are. . . . This is about the future."
Few needed convincing. The gathering was mostly friendly. Some students carried signs supporting reproductive rights, including abortion. "Give 'em health, Hillary," said one sign.
Later in Denver, the first lady told 3,000 health-care providers about what health reform would do. She also toured a center set up by the Colorado National Guard to treat the homeless and poor.
