Hillary Clinton
to appear on Letterman

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, one of the leading Democratic presidential contenders, will be a guest on CBS's Late Show With David Letterman on August 30 to help observe the 14th anniversary of the broadcast, her campaign said Thursday.

The appearance will be Clinton's seventh on the show, one of the most popular late-night programs on the air and a coveted venue for national political figures.

Sen. Joe Biden, also a Democratic presidential contender, will be a guest on the show on Tuesday.

Clinton first appeared on Late Show on February 14, 1994, when Letterman's mother, Dorothy, interviewed her briefly from the Winter Olympic Games in Norway during an ice hockey game. She asked the then-first lady whether she could do anything about the speed limits in Connecticut that had bedeviled her son with tickets.

Her first in-person time on the show with Letterman at the Ed Sullivan Theater was January 12, 2000, following weeks of on-air entreaties by Letterman. While on the show, she discussed her intention to run for the Senate from New York.

Shows such as Letterman's or NBC's Tonight Show With Jay Leno or Comedy Central's The Daily Show are eagerly sought by some politicians because they present an unconventional forum for national exposure.

Sen. John McCain, appearing on Letterman's show at the end of February, jumped the gun on his own planned kick-off for a presidential run by announcing on the show that he would be a candidate.

Former New York City mayor and Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani made his 28th appearance on Letterman's show in May. Clinton rival Barack Obama has appeared on Letterman's and Leno's shows. Democrat John Edwards was on with Letterman last November, before he declared his candidacy. And Democratic congressman Dennis Kucinich appeared on the show last month.

Clinton's husband, former president Bill Clinton, appeared on Letterman on the first anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He was a guest again in June 2005 to discuss his quadruple bypass heart surgery. (Jim Kuhnhenn, AP)