Clinton attends fundraiser while Cantwell votes

SEATTLE – Former President Bill Clinton came to town Monday night to raise money for freshman U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, who has struggled to get her re-election campaign in gear while fielding complaints about her stand on the Iraq war and the hiring of a former challenger.

“She has proven she will stand up and be counted” and is a Senate leader in energy independence, the former president said of Cantwell.

“You have a clear choice,” Clinton said. “Are you going to ratify the direction our country’s going in? Or are you going to choose change? It’s very interesting – re-electing the incumbent is the only way you can choose a positive change for America’s future.”

He suggested those who ask what Democrats stand for be told: “We stand for open and accountable and empowering government. We believe our country’s greatness is in our swelling middle class.”

Clinton was also booked for a Monday night fundraiser to help finance U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott’s court battle over his 1996 decision to give to reporters an illegally tape-recorded cell phone conversation involving then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga.

Addressing a sold-out Cantwell dinner crowd of 1,500 people, Clinton said of Republicans: “They’re tribal; they need enemies. We want a more united America.”

And he talked about the need to make more partners, not more terrorists.

“We live in an interdependent world,” he said. “We have to solve these problems together – and we have to do it by thinking.”

Dinner tickets ranged from $250 to $1,000, while photos with Clinton went for as much as $2,100. There was no immediate tally announced on how much was raised.

Cantwell herself did not attend her fundraiser, participating via video.

“She’s back in Washington, D.C., voting on this energy bill,” aide Amanda Mahnke said, referring to a Senate measure that would open 8.3 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas exploration.

Cantwell has come under fire for getting her campaign off to a late start for the Sept. 19 primary.

Fifteen candidates have signed up for the U.S. Senate primary, though former Safeco Insurance CEO Mike McGavick appears to be Cantwell’s strongest challenger.