ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG

NEW YORK - Former President Bill Clinton had a lot to say about Robert Rauschenberg Monday night at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.Clinton, who with his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, was a longtime friend of the late artist, was a surprise speaker at the Met, where a memorial was held for Rauschenberg before 1,500 invited guests.Rauschenberg, who was known as the world's foremost contemporary artist, died May 12 at his Captiva Island home."First of all, I am honored to be here tonight to speak for Hillary and for myself and my family," Clinton said. He said he first met Rauschenberg in 1993 when he awarded the artist the National Medal of the Arts."It's somehow ambivalent for an artist to get an award from a politician," Clinton said. "But I actually had some familiarity with his work."After he got to know Rauschenberg, he liked the man as well as his work, he said."It always struck me that the greatness of every artist is his or her spirit," Clinton said. That spirit is expressed through the body, he said. "You are always limited by your body, so he's now been set free to roam at will."