Obama asks backers, again, to help Clinton

President-elect Barack Obama is asking supporters again to help Hillary Clinton, his former rival and now his choice for secretary of state, pay off her campaign debt.

Obama had asked his backers soon after he and Clinton joined forces last summer. The appeal is more urgent this time because Clinton takes office, federal ethics rules put severe restrictions on her fund-raising.

"We welcome Hillary as a partner in our administration, and I hope you will show your support by helping Barack fulfill our campaign promise," says a letter signed by Vice President-elect Joe Biden, according to the Associated Press.

At the beginning of November, Clinton owed $7.5 million to vendors, including about $5.3 million to the polling firm of Mark Penn, the Clintons' longtime political strategist.

The AP also reports that Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, will headline a major fund-raiser Dec. 15 in New York with "Ugly Betty" star America Ferrera as master of ceremonies. Clinton also plans to sell a children's book, titled "Dreams Taking Flight" by author Kathleen Krull, about her pioneering candidacy. On Tuesday, a day after Obama announced she would serve as his top diplomat, Bill Clinton signed an e-mail to supporters asking them to send a note of congratulations to his wife and including a link for contributing to her debt retirement.