Gore at Clinton Conference, Just the Facts

At Bill Clinton's third annual Clinton Global Iinitiative conference, Al Gore is sitting at the end of a panel next to Bishop Desmond Tutu, wearing his now-trademark shiny black cowboy boots. He plugged Bill Clinton's book on philanthropy (both men made it clear they donate all profits their books make) and received warm applause for urging more participation in the fight against global warming.

Gore said that while corporate participation was key too success, in the end "governments set the rules of the road."

After saying that a major polar ice cap could completely melt in 23 years if action wasn't taken to reduce CO2 emissions, he said, "We face a genuine planetary emergency."

He received warm applause, but the buzz around him doesn’t seem quite as intense as it was last year, when chatter about him joining the presidential race was at a high point.

Back then, pundits and Gore supporters said September would be the time he might enter the race. Well, here he is, and the only political remarks he has offered so far were to "call on President Bush to follow president Reagan's example" to limit green house gas emissions.

The bigger news so far at the conference has been Clinton's announcement of a $1 billion commitment by Norway to fight child and maternal mortality worldwide.