Bard or Cleric or Mutliclass?

[ReD_Exorcist]

I can't decide which would be able to buff better Bard or Cleric or maybe multiclassing? Some detail on my situation

My party is made up of. A female Rogue. A male Duskblade. A female Beguiler. A female Ranger.
The Rogue is playing a assassin who is working for a Deity. Her combat style is up close and flanking with the occasional tangle foot bag.
The Duskblade is focusing a lot on critical (Don't ask me why..) His combat style is charging up and tanking while using Shock Trooper.
The Ranger is going down the archery path and her companion is a gorilla. Her combat style is far ranged and just raining down arrows on the weaker guys.
The Beguiler is a mind affecting illusionist type. He primarily uses his spells not really much to say about him.

I am starting at level 10. I just want to know which class would be better to buff the party with, or if Multiclassing is a possibility with the two.
Not really a restriction on books. Except Book of Nine Swords

[gorfnab]

I can't decide which would be able to buff better Bard or Cleric or maybe multiclassing?
What books do you have available, what level are you starting/finishing at, what has your DM said about character creation, what are the other party members playing? The more info you give us the better we can answer the question.

Bards and Clerics can both buff with spells.
Bards have their music to aid in buffing as well.
Clerics can access higher level spells quicker than Bards.

The Bard Handbook (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=8686) has some basic info on buffing options for Bards.
The Inspire Courage Handbook (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=8936) can really help you turn a Bard into a buffing machine.
The Cleric Handbook (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=1238) also mentions some buffing options.

So basically, what kind of buffer do you want/need to build?

[BowStreetRunner]

I've played in a group with a dragonfire inspiration, words of creation bard. The bonus damage that the other characters did with their weapon attacks far exceeded any other damage anyone in the party was doing. By the numbers, the bard was effectively providing over 3/4 of all damage the party was inflicting, but doing it all through his bonuses to others' attacks. He really didn't do much for the casters in the party - although we all benefited from a handful of defensive and skill bonuses he put out as well. But the damage adders were really the biggest impact.

On the other hand, the clerics with whom I've played have had a far more versatile set of buffs for the party. None of them could claim the ridiculously high bonus damage of our bard, but there were just so many more things that they could do.