LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – At the rain-soaked dedication of his new presidential library yesterday, President Clinton delivered an impassioned plea to extinguish the partisan anger that raged across the country during the recent election campaign.

In generous and often self-effacing speeches, President Bush, President George H.W. Bush, and President Carter also appeared intent on applying a salve to the still-fresh wounds of the hard-fought presidential contest.

“It bothers me when America gets as divided as it was,” Mr. Clinton said. “I heard all these terrible things.”

Referring to the increasingly popular convention of dividing America into red and blue states based on the presidential election results, Mr. Clinton said he doesn’t fit neatly into either category. “I’m a little red and a little blue,” he said.

Mr. Clinton, who spoke often during his presidency of seeking “a third way” in politics, stressed yesterday that the philosophies of both major parties have contributed to America’s success.

“America has two great dominant strands of political thought – we’re represented up here on this stage – conservatism, which, at its very best, draws lines that should not be crossed; and progressivism, which, at its very best, breaks down barriers that are no longer needed or should never have been erected in the first place,” Mr. Clinton said.

The central theme of the new library is “the bridge to the 21st century, “a formulation that drove Mr. Clinton’s successful re-election bid in 1996.

“We can continue building our bridge to tomorrow,” he said. “It will require some red American line-drawing and some blue American barrier breaking, but we can do it together.”

About 30,000 people braved chilling, relentless rain to witness the official opening of Mr. Clinton’s library and museum, a $165 million structure erected on a riverbank downtown. The guests included a large contingent of members of Congress, numerous foreign dignitaries, and legions of Democrats who served in Mr. Clinton’s administration, along with a smattering of celebrities, such as Barbra Streisand, Robin Williams, and Geraldo Rivera.

In his comments, Mr. Bush offered unqualified praise for his predecessor in the Oval Office.

“In the White House, the whole nation witnessed his brilliance and his mastery of detail, his persuasive power, and his persistence,” Mr. Bush said. “The president is not the kind to give up a fight. His staffers were known to say if Clinton were the Titanic, the iceberg would sink.”

The first President Bush also lavished praise on Mr. Clinton, while good-naturedly poking fun at himself.

“Bill Clinton was one of the most gifted American political figures in modern times. Trust me, I learned this the hard way,” the elder Mr. Bush, who was defeated by Mr. Clinton in 1992, said. “Seeing him out on the campaign trail, it was plain to see how he fed off the energy and the hopes and the aspirations of the American people. Simply put, he was a natural. And he made it look too easy. And oh, how I hated him for that.”

President George H.W. Bush confessed that he “hated” debates, and that when he famously checked his watch at a debate that year he was thinking about “how I could get out of there.”

“It was also clear that President Clinton, soon to be President Clinton, was in his element that night,” the elder Mr. Bush said. He called Mr. Clinton a friend but still offered him a bit of gentle criticism.

“He was a little hard on the president during the recent campaign, but in the spirit of being kinder and gentler, I’ve long since forgiven him for that,” Mr. Clinton’s predecessor said.

Keeping to the confessional theme, Mr. Carter said he regretted the trouble he caused Mr. Clinton during the latter’s first bid for re-election as governor of Arkansas. Cuban prisoners whom the federal government had sent to the state escaped, prompting widespread public concern and anger toward the governor.

“I made some mistakes in 1980 during the Mariel boatlift,” Mr. Carter said. “The presence of Cuban refugees in Arkansas may have cost him his re-election. For that, I apologize. But I and the people of this nation are grateful that he overcame that temporary setback and went on to become our president.”

Mr. Carter said he hoped yesterday’s ceremony would help America project a more united image abroad.

“At the end of a very difficult political year, more difficult for some of us than others, it is valuable for the world to see two Democrats and two Republicans assembled together, all honoring the great nation that has permitted us to serve,” he said.

The most crowd-pleasing moment of the dedication was a performance by Bono, of the rock group U2. He and guitarist The Edge sang a particularly apt Beatles tune, “Rain.” The drenched audience roared when Bono took liberties with the song’s lyrics, singing, “When the rain comes, we got four presidents out of bed.”

Before launching into “Sunday, Bloody Sunday,” Bono praised the former president for his commitment to ending the strife in Northern Ireland.

“Many people made a lot of sacrifices for that peace, but Bill Clinton didn’t have to, he chose to,” the Irish musician said.

Umbrellas held by military escorts sheltered the VIPs. Most in the crowd shivered beneath ponchos.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Clinton said a tent that covered the stage was removed yesterday morning after advance staff for the event and the White House saw Air Force radar data indicating that the rain was likely to stop for a few hours during the ceremony.

While there was a break in the rain early in the day, it came down steadily during the two-hour program.

As Senator Clinton stepped forward to introduce her husband, the rain was so intense that she dispensed with her prepared remarks.

“I cannot wait for you to see this and to tour this museum,” Mrs. Clinton said. “The building is like my husband. It’s open, it’s expansive, it’s welcoming, it’s filled with light.”

At two points during his speech yesterday, Mr. Clinton exhorted President Bush to press forward with efforts to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs. Mr. Clinton said chances for such a peace deal have improved, though he did not say precisely why.

“I hope you get to cross over into the promised land of Middle East peace. We have a good opportunity and we are all praying for you,” Mr. Clinton said.

One of those in the audience was the man President Bush defeated in this month’s election, Senator Kerry. The Massachusetts senator, who had no role in the ceremony, looked chipper.

“I’m pretty sure Senator Kerry is out there,” Mr. Clinton said from the podium. “If he is, I want to thank him. I’m glad he’s back on the job.”

In a bow to one of Mr. Clinton’s campaign-trail trademarks, the ceremony included testimonials from six “real people” who spoke of the benefits they received from policy changes advanced by the former president, such as the Family and Medical Leave Act and tighter emissions controls.

The rain caused one significant change in the event. A videotaped message from a former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, was dropped, to shorten the program.

The downpour didn’t keep President Bush from demonstrating his playful sense of humor. After he took the stage, he briefly lifted and then lowered the edge of his wife’s umbrella, in an apparent attempt to make sure it really was her under there.

The ceremony also included several nods to Mr. Clinton’s new home state, New York.

The pledge of allegiance was led by Anastasia Somoza of Manhattan, a student at Georgetown University, Mr. Clinton’s alma mater. While Mr. Clinton was president, she and her twin sister, Alba, lobbied him successfully for legislation that would help disabled children attend schools of their choice.

Rev. Floyd Flake, a former congressman from Queens, delivered the invocation, which also served as a tribute to Mr. Clinton.

“We express thanks for the sterling example that he represents as one who has proven that even when hope is against hope, it is possible to persist against the odds with confidence and the belief that all things are possible if we believe,” Mr. Flake said. “The nation and the world were blessed when he was elevated to the presidency.”

Despite the talk of unity and common ground from the politicians involved in the dedication, some of the former president’s detractors said they were pressing forward with plans to set up an exhibition in Little Rock that will offer a more critical view of his presidency. A former Republican congressman from Long Island, John LeBoutillier, is heading up the effort.

“The Counter-Clinton Library is dedicated to telling the truth, to even things out, to counter the exaggerations and lies,” Mr. LeBoutillier said in an interview. He said his organization, which received nonprofit status from the Internal Revenue Service this year, is launching a $2 million fund-raising campaign. Mr. LeBoutillier said his group deliberately held off fund-raising during the presidential race. “We are really going to go hard now on this whole thing,” he said.

While early questions about the content of the library have focused on its treatment of the impeachment crisis, the former congressman said he doesn’t expect the anti-Clinton museum to dwell on that issue or the president’s affair with a White House intern, Monica Lewinsky.

“I’m really more interested in other things that went on. For eight years, the Clintons really weakened our national defense and military,” Mr. LeBoutillier said. “That stuff is really what counts, not a blue dress,” he said.

A former political adviser to Mr. Clinton, Dick Morris, has agreed to provide the anti-Clinton exhibition with previously unseen agendas for White House meetings. The former congressman said he views the just-opened presidential library as part of an effort to lay the groundwork for a presidential campaign by Mrs. Clinton in 2008.

“It’s a vehicle to reshape his legacy, clean it up, and get the Clintons ready to run four years from now, with Hillary the candidate and Bill pulling the strings,” Mr. LeBoutillier said.

Mrs. Clinton said yesterday that she doesn’t understand what motivates those behind the Counter-Clinton Library, but she welcomes the economic activity they could bring to the area.

“You know, I have really no idea why the obsession continues. But that’s fine,” she told NBC. “It’ll just create ever more commercial activity and interest here in Little Rock.”