Clinton, Huckabee to address AARP

Does Hillary Clinton have the star power of, say, rocker Rod Stewart, crooner Tony Bennett, or even rapper LL Cool J?

Well, something of an answer will emerge this afternoon at the annual AARP gathering, which has brought 25,000 attendees to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

Clinton, a star in the political world and the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, is set to speak to the convention, called "Life@50+." Lots of other celebrities have appeared or are scheduled to appear, including basketball legend Bill Russell and father and son actors Kirk and Michael Douglas.

Among the presidential candidates, the only other one appearing is Republican Mike Huckabee. The former Arkansas governor plans to be the first GOP candidate to sign a pledge card to support the Divided We Fail campaign.

A joint effort of the AARP, the Business Roundtable, and the SEIU union, the campaign calls for strengthening Social Security, making affordable health care available to all Americans, providing affordable prescription drugs, creating incentives to save for retirement, and expanding job opportunities for older people.

Huckabee's campaign issued a statement that "he recognizes that health and financial security are critical 21st century issues and he'll pledge to address them as President."