Bill Clinton returns home after heart procedure

Former President Bill Clinton was recovering at his suburban home this morning after leaving a Manhattan hospital where he underwent a heart procedure. Three black SUVs with tinted windows arrived around 7:45 a.m. (1245 GMT) Friday and pulled through the high gates at the house. The hamlet of Chappaqua is about 35 miles north of New York City. Clinton adviser Douglas Band said in a statement that Clinton left New York Presbyterian Hospital "in excellent health." "He looks forward in the days ahead to getting back to the work of his Foundation, and to Haiti relief and recovery efforts," it said. Terry McAul i f fe, the former Democratic National Committee chairman and a close friend of the Clintons, told CBS television that he expects Clinton will get back to work quickly. "If I know President Clinton, he'll be on the phone ... calling people asking for more help for Haiti and where he can get pickup trucks so they can deliver food or generators. If I know Bill Clinton, he'll be raring to go in about 35 minutes," McAuliffe said. Clinton, 63, could be back at work as soon as Monday, cardiologist Allan Schwartz said previously. Clinton had quadruple bypass surgery at the same hospital more than five years ago, and returned Thursday to have a clogged heart artery opened after suffering discomfort in his chest. Two stents resembling tiny mesh scaffolds were placed inside the artery as part of a medical procedure that is common for people with severe heart disease.