Bill Clinton hints end is near for wife's campaign

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Former president Bill Clinton dropped a hint Monday that the end might be nigh for his wife Hillary's dogged campaign for the Democratic White House nomination, according to reports.

"I want to say also that this may be the last day I'm ever involved in a campaign of this kind," the former president told Clinton supporters in South Dakota, ABC and NBC reported on their news websites.

"I thought I was out of politics, till Hillary decided to run. But it has been one of the greatest honors of my life to go around and campaign for her for president," he added at the start of his stump speech.

Other reports suggested that in the face of her rival Barack Obama's overwhelming lead, the New York senator is taking stock of whether to fight on beyond Tuesday's final primaries.

The former first lady's campaign announced that she would hold an election night "celebration" in her home state of New York, not in the final voting states of Montana or South Dakota.

The Politico website reported that far-flung members of Clinton's travelling staff had been summoned back to New York for Tuesday evening and told their roles on the campaign are ending.