MILWAUKEE, WI -- Just days before Wisconsin's gubernatorial recall, former President Bill Clinton drew a crowd of nearly 2,000 attendees here as he campaigned for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) in his contest against Gov. Scott Walker (R).

“Ordinarily, I’m against recall elections,” Clinton told the crowd. “But sometimes it is the only way, to avoid a disastrous course."

Clinton's visit comes on the heels of a recent Marquette Law School poll, which showed Walker leading Barrett by seven points among likely voters, 52%-45%. Democrats argue that their internal polling shows a much closer contest -- one that they say will be determined by turnout.

That explains Clinton’s visit here, which was only announced yesterday.

In brief remarks with NBC News after his speech, Clinton said President Obama was “glad” the former president was campaigning with Barrett.

“A lot of people encouraged me to come, including the White House,” Clinton told NBC News. “But, I didn’t talk to him [Obama] until yesterday when I had already accepted” the speaking invitation. But he was “glad I was going.”

The two-term former president, who noted he won the state of Wisconsin during both of his elections, also told NBC that the recall could have implications on November’s presidential election.

“If Tom Barrett wins, I think it will because it’ll show that people favor cooperation over conflict and that’s really what the American people have to say," he said. "This is not about liberal/conservative, Republican/Democrat anymore. It's about whether you want constant conflict and winner take all or creative cooperation.

“What’s working in America -- the places that are back are places that are working together.”

In his speech here, Clinton even opened with a little joke, just a day after he praised GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s work at Bain -- and taking some heat from Democrats for being off message.

“The great thing about not being president is you can say whatever you want. Nobody has to care anymore, but you can say it,” he said.

While Clinton campaigned with Barrett, Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) is stumping with Walker.

Bill Clinton: president, philanthropist, statesmen … diehard college basketball fan.

While President Barack Obama’s love affair with college hoops is well known, his predecessor might just be the first “March Madness President.” While in office, Clinton traveled to the Final Four to watch the University of Arkansas win the 1994 national title. Even with his busy schedule he still makes plenty of time to watch college hoops.

At the end of a wide-ranging interview about youth empowerment, health care reform and the 2012 presidential election that will air Monday on MSNBC 9 a.m. ET, Clinton gave his Final Four winners' picks for tonight exclusively to NBC: Ohio St and Kentucky.

Complete coverage of the Final Four

On the Ohio State-Kansas game Clinton told me: “And the Ohio state, that guy's great – (Jared) Sullinger’s great – but I think I would put Ohio State as a slight favorite, and I would put Kentucky as a slight favorite, just massively talented.”

“But Kansas, it’s a tough call between Kansas and Ohio State because Kansas has actually played better as the tournament's gone on and showed more coherence in their game than they did in, even during the season. But I’d say, I think Ohio State is a slight favorite.”

On Kentucky-Louisville: “I think Kentucky is a slight favorite. I love Louisville, you know it’s a Big East team so I see them and to full disclosure (coach) Rick Pitino is a friend of mine. But I love the team so I wouldn’t be shocked if Louisville won, but Kentucky ... they’ve got big-time talent and not just their player of the year but it’s just a talented, talented team.”

The 42^nd president was originally high on Syracuse but thought the loss of Fab Melo hurt the Orange: “I didn’t think that they could get all the way – I wasn’t surprised that Ohio State won without this center. I think Syracuse would if he’d been playing.”

The former president was especially high on one team – Florida. “Even though they were eliminated from the Final Four, they’re a seven seed, they’re really the story of the tournament. They had the most convincing wins, the most solid the most well-balanced team. I mean they just came out of nowhere and played out of their minds consistently.”

President Clinton plans on watching both games tonight. He even scheduled events at his annual Clinton Global Initiative University Conference around the games.

Clinton even weaves bracketology into his initiative, pitting college kids and their social service based commitments against each other in a Final Four-like online tournament.

Before auto-worker union members, former President Bill Clinton today condemned Mitt Romney for opposing the auto bailout.

And he brought his father into it.

“Every time I hear Mr. Romney talk about this, I think his daddy must be turning over in his grave,” Clinton said. Romney’s father, George Romney, was governor of Michigan and a chief executive at American Motors Corp.

Clinton called the auto bailout the most important decision Barack Obama has made as president.

The former president, a close follower of politics, wasted no time before commenting on the Republican presidential race.

“Watching this Republican primary reminds me that we might as well have a movie on the Spanish inquisition of people passing complex theological exams, and if you fail Question 13, you are out of here.”

The former president said the bailout was a more important decision than the health care act, noting that it is a complicated subject and requires much work for improvement.

He also touched on bipartisanship.

“We have to be driven by a simple idea -- we are struggling to build a country of shared prosperity and shared responsibility,” Clinton said.