TAVIS SMILEY, host: From NPR in Boston, I'm Tavis Smiley. At the FleetCenter, site of this year's Democratic National Convention, it is day four, the last day of the convention tonight. John Kerry on the closing night gives the big speech. I'm pleased to be joined now by a person who really needs no introduction. I can just do this in three words: Hillary Rodham Clinton. Senator, nice to see you. Senator HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (Democrat, New York): Oh, it's great being with you, Tavis. SMILEY: Last day, you holding up OK? Sen. CLINTON: I am. You know, my step's a little less vigorous than it was when I got here on Sunday, but I've had a great time. SMILEY: Right. Sen. CLINTON: I've seen so many friends. I'm really pumped up. I think we've had a terrific convention. I'm looking forward to John's speech tonight. SMILEY: Do you think that the Democrats have done what they needed to do here this week? Did you do what you came here to do? Sen. CLINTON: I think that we sure did a lot of what we needed to do. I think that obviously, the highlight of the convention will be tonight when our nominee speaks, and I think that the way that he has been explained and described and extolled to people over the last, you know, three nights has made an impression. I think that his arrival with a lot of his crewmates from his days in Vietnam sent a really strong signal. I think last night, having those retired admirals and generals come out on a stage, most of whom I know, and other than Wes Clark, have never really been political, you know, all sent a strong message that this is somebody you can trust to keep you safe. SMILEY: Why do I feel like I know Bill Clinton but I don't feel like I know John Kerry? I know that he served us honorably in Vietnam. I know he's a decorated war hero. I know that he's served in public life for 30 years, but I don't feel like I know this guy. I'm not feeling connected to him yet. Can he pull that off tonight? Sen. CLINTON: Oh, I think so. You know, I obviously do feel like I know him and... SMILEY: Yeah. It's because you do. Sen. CLINTON: I do. That's the difference, right? SMILEY: Yeah. Yeah. Sen. CLINTON: And I know that he has, you know, so many wonderful attributes and such great experience that will really enable him to be a first-rate president, and we sure need one. As I said in my speech, we need a serious man for a serious job at a serious time. But I think, too, that when I consider that back in 1992, when Bill wrapped up the nomination in June in California, he was running third behind Ross Perot and George Bush the first. Going into our convention in New York, there were a lot of people who felt the same way. So I think it's an evolutionary process, Tavis. I think that this is a really big country. It takes a long time for people to get to know you. And, you know, John Kerry's just always been very deliberate in doing what he thought was right and making the decisions that he felt comfortable with, and I think there's a certain amount of reserve about him as a person, but to me, that is a positive because he isn't somebody who gets knocked off course or blown around by whatever the prevailing winds might be. SMILEY: Speaking of somebody who doesn't get knocked around or blown away by the prevailing winds, you sent a strong message to your Republican friends the other day. For those who didn't read your comment, you told the Republicans, `Spend your money someplace else. Spend your money someplace else. I'm going to win in New York.' That was awfully bold. I'm sure you're right about that, but where'd that come from? Sen. CLINTON: Well, you know, a reporter asked me if I, you know, was going to run for re-election. I said, `Well, you know, I'm not making an announcement right now, but I sure intend to.' SMILEY: Right. Right. Sen. CLINTON: And he said, `Well, are you going to win?' I said, `Of course I'm going to win.' SMILEY: Yeah. Sen. CLINTON: Obviously. Why would I put myself through that? SMILEY: Yeah. Sen. CLINTON: It's a pretty grueling process, which I know firsthand going back many years. But I feel so good about my work. I love representing New York. It's the, you know, most amazing, wonderful place in the world, not just in the country, and so for me, I just want to keep doing it. And so, of course, I trust and assume that, you know, the kindness of the people of New York will enable me to return. SMILEY: What do you make of the flap--and I can somewhat anticipate the answer I'm going to get from you; maybe you'll give a little bit more, but I'm going to ask it anyway. What do you make of the flap, which I thought was rather ridiculous, about the fact that you were not initially on the list of persons to speak at this convention? Sen. CLINTON: You know, Tavis, I didn't make much of it because, you know, putting together a convention is hard and it is sort of an ongoing process, you know. You keep assessing what you're going to do and what, you know, the audience wants and what you think will help. And, you know, I didn't really give it much thought. Now, obviously, a lot of other people, particularly, you know, people who support me all over the country, apparently did. But, you know, John Kerry could not have been more gracious. You know, he called and asked if I would introduce my husband. I was, you know, very privileged to do that, and I especially wanted a chance to endorse him in a very public way because I like him. You know, I've known him. I campaigned for him in 1996 when he was in a very tough race that people said he couldn't win for re-election here in Massachusetts. I've now served wit him. Maybe my most poignant memory is going to Vietnam, because he went to Vietnam with Bill and me when Bill was the first American president to go back to Vietnam. And, you know, he's just someone that I have a great deal of admiration and affection for, so I have said from the very beginning I will do whatever they ask me to do, and so I have no, you know, feelings one way or the other. I'm just going to be, you know, a good member of the team to try to get John Kerry elected. SMILEY: I was watching you the other night watch your husband as he was knocking it out of the park Monday night at this convention, and I've seen him speak a lot of times, not nearly as many as you have, but I've seen him speak a lot of times and around the world, as you know, and I thought he started a little slow Monday night, and I could tell he was a little off cue, off-center, because he knew he had a time here... Sen. CLINTON: Right. SMILEY: ...that he was trying to get out by 11 Eastern. Sen. CLINTON: Yes, he was. SMILEY: So I'm watching him and he's talking faster than usual, the hand isn't working like it's already working, and about a third of the way through, he found his rhythm... Sen. CLINTON: Right. SMILEY: ...and he took off and he knocked it out the park. Sen. CLINTON: Right. SMILEY: But I'm sitting there analyzing him, just because I've watched him so many time. Do you analyze him in the same way? Were you making those same kind of observations--or your own observations, rather? Sen. CLINTON: Well, what I felt on Monday night, because I haven't seen him make a speech in really--except very briefly, you know, in a couple of years. SMILEY: Well, you saw a good one. Sen. CLINTON: I saw a really good one. SMILEY: Yeah. Sen. CLINTON: And, you know, I have sort of kind of a, you know, goose bump or tingle quotient. You know, he really... SMILEY: Even after all these years. Sen. CLINTON: Even after all these years... SMILEY: Wow. Sen. CLINTON: ...I thought he was fabulous. SMILEY: Yeah. Sen. CLINTON: And I knew how hard he'd worked on it. He had really spent a lot of time, because he wanted to craft something, which not only could stand on its own but be a bit of a road map for other Democrats. You know, here in his view--and obviously, I give a lot of weight to it, because he does know how to communicate well and how to make a case--but I think he was trying to say: Well, here's some good arguments; take them, borrow them, steal them, use them, whatever. And you're right, though. He was so conscious of the time because he knew that they were going to, you know, cut it at 11. He didn't want that to happen. So I was just--toward the end, I knew how many pages he had left... SMILEY: Right. Sen. CLINTON: ...so I was holding my breath a little bit. SMILEY: All right. I've got about a minute and a half to go here, and we are, you know, really just days away, just months away from the big showdown of November 2nd. As you leave this convention tonight, tomorrow, what kind of bump are Kerry-Edwards going to get? What are their chances? How do you rate them at this point? Sen. CLINTON: You know, I may be proven wrong, which would be all to the good, but I've never thought there was going to be a big bump, because there's too little undecided vote. I don't see any, you know, of the undecided, which is a relatively small band, you know, moving in huge numbers. I think there'll be a bump and I would hope there would be as big a one as you can get out of a circumstance like this, but, you know, I'm not much of a sports fanatic, but, you know, I grew up with a father who played football and two brothers who played football, and I've followed it myself, and, you know, this is more on the part of us in this Democratic convention kind of a ground game. I mean, we're picking up inches and yards and we're moving down the field. I don't think we're in an environment where, you know, you can throw a Hail Mary pass, but--boy, you know, obviously, we'd all love to see one, but at the end of the day, this works. It's going to work. We're going to win, and I'm very optimistic about that. SMILEY: Well, I'm glad that it worked for you to come by and see us. Thanks for coming by. It's always a pleasure to talk to you, and you're welcome back here anytime. Sen. CLINTON: Thank you so much. SMILEY: The junior senator from the state of New York, Hillary Rodham Clinton. That's our show. We wrap this week, for that matter, from the FleetCenter here in Boston. Thanks for being with us all week. We'll be back in our studio in LA on Monday. Have a great rest of the day. Talk to you later. Be sure to catch me tonight on TV on PBS. My guests, the Democrats' newest star, Barack Obama of Illinois, and Donna Brazile and Arianna Huffington. That's tonight on "Tavis Smiley" on PBS. To listen to this show or past shows, or for tapes and transcripts, visit npr.org or call (877) NPR-TEXT. More information on what I'm doing is available at TavisTalks.com. The TAVIS SMILEY show is a news and opinion program created by NPR and the African-American public radio consortium. CREDITS SMILEY: I'm Tavis Smiley. This is NPR. Keep the faith. Copyright © 2004 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions page at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.