HILLARY Rodham Clinton will be back in her home town of Chicago for the Democratic convention. As the local girl made good, the First Lady will get acres of media coverage as she tours her favourite spots in the lakeside city and greets old friends.

She is also billed as a main speaker on Tuesday night. But she will not try to imitate Elizabeth Dole in San Diego last week and woo the delegates by extolling her Bill.

Whatever she tells the convention will be interesting if for no other reason than that she has been largely silent for months as the Whitewater controversy swirls around her.

The revelation that she used to commune with a previous First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, at low moments in the White House was an embarrassment for a few days.

But she handled it with humour while she embarked on a successful tour of central European countries showing compassion for sick and neglected children.

The White House spokesman, Mike McCurry, has said that there was never any doubt that she would speak at the convention, in spite of rumours that she had been advised to be seen and not heard.

"There has been a hate machine against her and she has a good opportunity in Chicago to set the record straight, because those who know her and have watched her understand what a remarkable woman she is and what a valuable asset to the President," Mr McCurry said this week.

Four years ago Hillary Clinton entered the White House with her husband's slogan from the campaign trail ringing in her ears, "buy one, get one free" - She was to head the high-powered task force with the huge job of reforming the country's complex health-care system.

The project flopped badly. Hillary came to be seen as "an ambitious yuppie from hell" the "Lady Macbeth from Little Rock". She even took some of the blame for the disastrous midterm election results for the Democrats in 1994.

She retreated from the limelight. But unwelcome publicity came seeking her as committees in the Republican-controlled Congress pored over documents subpoenaed from the White House on her alleged role in the dismissal of the travel office staff and the appointment of Craig Livingstone.

He was the official in charge of security who authorised the procuring of hundreds of confidential FBI files on Republicans who had formerly worked in the White House.

The parallel investigation by the Special Prosecutor, Kenneth Starr, into her role in Whitewater and in the sacking of the White House travel staff could also turn serious for her.

The investigation has so far revealed no evidence of wrong doing on her part. But endless speculation has made it a miserable time for her.

She has said she dares not keep a diary as it might be seized for Congressional scrutiny. Chicago will give her the chance to speak out, but she has to ensure that whatever she says will help her husband's chances of re-election and not damage them.