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PHILADELPHIA 鈥� There have been millions of words, decades of video and reams of commentary devoted to their story. It抖阴ap been dissected, defended and decried at kitchen tables and on cable news, in tabloids and classrooms.

But on Tuesday night, as millions of voters watched and with the political stakes as high as they鈥檝e ever been, Bill Clinton tried to make sense of it all and make the case for his wife, the newly minted Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

鈥淚n the spring of 1971, I met a girl,鈥� he began.

The former president抖阴ap tenth address to a Democratic convention was by far his most personal, a 42-minute tour through wedding proposals and Halloween parties, the deaths of parents and movie marathons.

Instead, Bill Clinton cast himself as a passenger in his wife鈥檚 life, reshaping the story of much of their decades in politics.

The goal was to make Clinton, perhaps the most famous female politician in the world, yet a public figure her aides claim remains unknown, relatable to voters. He cast her as a liberal heroine of her own story, who fought for education reform, health care, civil rights, the disabled, 9/11 first responders and economically depressed rural areas.

鈥淪he鈥檚 the best darn change-maker I鈥檝e ever met in my entire life,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his woman has never been satisfied with the status quo on anything. She always wants to move the ball forward. That is just who she is.鈥�

He never once mentioned GOP nominee Donald Trump by name, dismissing Republican attacks on Clinton as 鈥渕ade up鈥� and a 鈥渃artoon alternative.鈥� Rather, Bill Clinton focused nearly exclusively on his wife鈥檚 achievements and how she鈥檇 influenced him.

鈥淚 have lived a long full blessed life. It really took off when I met and fell in love with that girl in the spring of 1971,鈥� he said.

But it wasn鈥檛 only Clinton who broke a glass ceiling on Tuesday when she became the first female nominee of a major party. Should she win on Election Day, her husband will step into a singular role in American history: first gentleman.

The potential new title is perhaps the strangest twist in a political career known for its second acts. After health scares and political missteps, the Comeback Kid, as he was known in his first presidential race, could come back to Washington one last time.

In 2012, he acted as a powerful validator for President Barack Obama, electrifying the room as the party鈥檚 鈥渆xplainer-in-chief.鈥�

But, said Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, 鈥淭his is different.鈥�

鈥淭his is more personal,鈥� said Podesta, who recalled riding to the convention hall with Bill Clinton as he touched up his 2004 convention address. 鈥淭his is more about her.鈥�

Bill Clinton felt pressure to perform for his wife and make up for his own missteps during her second presidential campaign.

Nearly 70, he鈥檚 also a bit frailer, a touch shakier, though aides and friends say his famous memory remains sharp. Some say his administration鈥檚 legacy has been repudiated by his own party, which shifted left during Obama鈥檚 time in office.

鈥淕od bless him, Bill even looks old now,鈥� said Republican strategist Alex Castellanos. 鈥淗e鈥檚 not the once and future king, he鈥檚 the once and past king.鈥�

But no one doubts that Bill Clinton still wants to be at the center of the action. While aides have said he will not get a Cabinet post or a seat in the Situation Room should his wife win, Clinton has made clear that her closest adviser will remain involved with her administration, saying he鈥檇 likely have a role in managing the nation鈥檚 economy.

They remain a 鈥渢wo for one鈥� package, as Bill Clinton famously said during his first presidential race. But on Tuesday night, he hinted, just barely, that Clinton perhaps is finally getting her part of the deal.

鈥淚 married my best friend,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I really hoped that she choosing me and rejecting my own advice to pursue her own career was a decision she鈥檇 never regret.鈥�