Politics on the Hudson

With his wife busy campaigning for his old job, former President Bill Clinton took her place this morning as the keynote speaker at the Westchester Democratic Party’s annual victory breakfast, urging party members to remain in the “solution business.”

In a speech that, at times, seemed more intended for a policy forum than a political rally, Clinton spoke of the need for the nation to address domestic issues like health care and energy, while also building stronger international alliances to combat terrorism and the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

“The Democratic Party is in the solution business,” Clinton told the more than 500 people assembled at the VIP Club in New Rochelle. “The Republicans in Washington were thrown out because they were in the business of concentrating wealth and power and elevating ideology over evidence.”

Clinton made only a few passing references to his wife’s campaign for president and never directly asked attendees to vote for her. He probably didn’t need to.

“This is a committed group here,” said Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano, who introduced the president. “She’s just head and shoulders above all of (the other candidates) and she’s from here.”