Former President Clinton is still a beloved man. I’m not referring to the 1,000 well-dressed folk who packed the ballroom at the Palmer House this afternoon to hear the 42nd President deliver a speech as part of the Chicago House’s inaugural Speaker Series. I’m referring to the hovering masses camped on State Street who waited for the President’s departure and shouted names like “Billy Boy” when they finally caught a glimpse of him.

The Chicago House, a social service agency that provides relief for homeless people impacted by HIV/AIDS, was able to book Clinton, who happened to be in town anyway for an event on the eighth. Clinton, who started the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) was no doubt an ideal choice to kick off the series and this crowd was thrilled to have him. He glowed as he entered the ballroom and delivered his trademark thumb gesture before taking the podium. As I gazed upon Clinton from the balcony where they placed the media, and where I gazed upon 1,000 plates of prime rib, fruit cups and cheesecake, I found myself straining to hear him several times, so please pardon the occasional paraphrasing in this post.

Clinton began by praising Chicago and noting that the Palmer House was both the place where he celebrated winning the Democratic nomination for presidency in 1992, and also offered up a touching anecdote about a rare picture he treasures of his father dining at the hotel decades ago. He acknowledged Veteran’s Day and used it as a segue into the tragic events at Fort Hood last week. Clinton talked of conflicts created by people and nations trying to protect their separate interests instead of coming together and uniting under common interests.

He described our health care system as unsustainable and noted that 85% of bankruptcies in this decade were generated by the health care crisis. He also stated that the rising health care costs were what crippled GM including the shocking figure that GM doles out $1,500 per car in health care costs while Toyota pays out just $100. He also warned of the dangers of government stimulus noting that Obama made the right decision at the time, but ultimately government’s job is to spark the private sector asserting that the ‘08 election was won the day Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. “This election occurred on September 15, make no mistake about it.” Finally, Clinton tied in education and climate change, first praising Arne Duncan but also adding that every year since World War II, America has ranked #1 in the number of people with four year college degrees except for the last ten years when we dropped to #10.

But all of this was to drive home the point that no matter how much Congress and the President do to fix the nation, ultimately there will still be a gap between what the private sector can produce and what the government can provide. Hence the need for organizations like Chicago House. Clinton passionately extolled the virtues of social service agencies. “The rise of of a civil society is stunning,” he said as he talked of America’s one million foundations, half a million of which have sprung up since he took office in 1993.

Clinton directed comments toward the HIV/AIDS crisis and Chicago House, noting his own shame at the discriminatory policy that bars HIV positive people from entering the country (which Obama recently lifted). He also said that Chicago has the sixth largest HIV/AIDS problem in the country. “But you’re doing your job because you’re not the sixth largest city,” he said in a praiseworthy nod toward Chicago House and its efforts. He called us one of the best organized big cities in the world (although he’s obviously never ridden the CTA) and harked back to the beginning of his speech nicely by noting that every time folks invest in agencies like Chicago House, they’re putting their common interests above their individual ones.

As Clinton wound down he made a quip about Mad Men. “If I keep watching this program,” he mused, “Will I ever find a happy person?” His point was that the show, while enjoyable, serves a reminder of the mistreatment of blacks and women. Finally, Clinton hit it home with a couple-feel good aphorisms. “One of the things that makes life so rewarding is that people like us have the power to make a difference,” he said. “People betting against the U.S. will lose a lot of money.” Although we may take a while, “we finally get it right.”