LITTLE ROCK -- Former President Bill Clinton joined a full cast of dignitaries and celebrities Thursday for the dedication of his presidential library.

A downpour and long security lines didn't seem to lessen the excitement for the 30,000 guests attending the dedication of the Clinton presidential library in Little Rock, Ark.

Tributes to Clinton poured in Thursday from two presidents who preceded him and the one who followed.

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All the living presidents were on the stage except Gerald Ford, 91, who sent his best wishes.

President George W. Bush called his predecessor a "man of compassion" and a "tireless champion of peace in the Mideast."

Former president George H.W. Bush, the president Clinton ousted, called him "one of the most gifted American political figures in modern times," adding that he learned that "the hard way."

Former president Jimmy Carter said he admired Clinton's "insight, wisdom and determination."

U2's Bono and The Edge performed before Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton introduced her husband in remarks cut short by the weather.

For his part, Clinton called on politicians of both parties to put aside their differences and work together. In his words, "our differences do matter, but our common humanity matters more."

The nation's 42nd president paid tribute to the people of Arkansas, his family, his predecessors and his colleagues, and he said he tried to combine the best of conservatism and progressivism.

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Presidents Pay Tribute To Clinton Clinton Calls For Unity In Library Speech

Clinton said he hopes his presidential library will connect Americans with his dreams and to one another.

He said Wednesday that, with the library, he had tried to tell the story not just of his eight years in the White House, but how the United States moved into a whole new century. He said that new century held new dangers such as terrorism, but also new opportunities through trade and shared values.

Clinton said the library was also an attempt to get people to believe in one another again, and in the country.

Visitors to the Clinton library are greeted at an oval reception area and sent on their way after a visit to a replica of the Oval Office.

In between is a history buff's dream -- artifacts from a collection gathered during Clinton's eight years in the White House.

For $7, visitors can spend a day in the museum and library complex on the south bank of the Arkansas River in downtown Little Rock.

Library director David Alsobrook said two hours ought to let tourists cover everything. Alsobrook said visitors with only an hour to spare should make it a point to see the gifts from foreign leaders.

Sen. Hillary Clinton said Thursday's dedication was "a pretty exciting and emotional day" for her husband.

She said she agrees it's opening sooner than most presidential libraries open. But she said it would hopefully "give a first draft of history" to visitors and scholars.

Clinton said she doesn't mind that a counter library is planned in Little Rock. She said visitors will be "reminded of the incredible progress" the United States made during the Clinton years. She added that her husband is still recovering from a heart operation and will be "better than ever" in "a few more months."

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan called the opening a "happy and historic occasion."

Even though Clinton denied Bush's father a second term, the current president has gone out of his way to praise the 42nd president. At a June unveiling for Clinton's official White House portrait, he praised Clinton's "deep" policy knowledge and "forward-looking spirit."