Former US President Clinton, recovering from a heart bypass surgery, might be able to campaign for Democratic nominee John Kerry in the final week ahead of vote,the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

During an interview with NBC TV in Lancaster of Pennsylvania, Kerry said that "it's possible that former President Clinton may be here, working" in the campaign's final days, the report said.

If so, this will be Clinton's first public appearance since hisheart bypass in early September. Due to the popularity of Clinton,his presence could help bolster voters' support for Kerry, who hasbeen trailing President George W. Bush in several latest polls.

But Stephanie Cutter, Kerry's communications director, said that Clinton had not finalized any plans.

"We are eager to have his help, and it has to be done in a way that protects his health," she said.

Clinton's quadruple heart bypass sidelined one of the Democratic Party's most popular figures. The former president's campaign activities have been limited to recording telephone messages encouraging people to vote for Kerry, the Massachusetts senator.

Kerry aides said privately that they hoped Clinton would committo traveling to several states next week on the candidate's behalf.

Clinton has not been out on the trail for Kerry this fall, but he has had a strong influence on the campaign. At the end of the summer, Kerry tapped several former Clinton aides to help revamp the campaign's message. And Kerry frequently speaks by phone with the former president.

At a rally in Dayton, Ohio, on Tuesday night, the senator said he had been talking with Clinton right before he came out on stageabout how President Bush was trying to use fear to sway public opinion.

"He said, 'You know, when the other guy wants you to stop thinking and is trying to scare you into not thinking, and you want Americans to think about their future, it's pretty clear who you ought to be voting for,' " Kerry told thousands of people who filled a local baseball stadium.

Source: Xinhua