Gore Defends Live Earth Concerts, Self

(CBS)  Al Gore is striking back at his critics and those of the worldwide Live Earth concert series.

The former vice president says Live Earth is exactly what it's being billed as: a 24-hour, seven-continent succession of concerts Saturday to draw attention to the threat global warming poses to the planet.

Live Earth will indeed be "a global affair," CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer observed Friday on The Early Show, with performers such as Madonna, Bon Jovi, Shakira and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Gore, described by Palmer as the "driving force" behind Live Earth, personally lobbied some of its stars to take the stage, she said.

"Critics have accused Gore of using the event to grab attention for himself and a possible run at the White House, but he says, no, he's just passionately green," Palmer added.

"I'm involved in a different kind of campaign, not for myself, not as a candidate, but to change people's minds about the most dangerous crisis we've ever faced," Gore said on CNN's "Larry King Live."

Asked on The Early Show Friday by co-anchor Harry Smith if he has plans to be in early presidential battleground states New Hampshire or Iowa anytime soon, Gore responded, "No, I have no plans for that. I'm involved in this … campaign to try to change the way people think about this climate crisis.

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To see photos of preparations for Live Earth, click here.

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"This is no joke, Harry. The North Pole is melting. A huge area of snow near the South Pole, an area the size of California, has been melting. The scientists are practically screaming from the rooftops on this, and the solutions are things we ought to be doing for other reasons, anyway.

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Photos: The Greening Of Hollywood

Photos: Al Gore "Green" Media Star

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Gore defended Live Earth's performers against charges of hypocrisy. Critics point to their using such decidedly environmentally unfriendly items as private jets, big limos and SUVs, but Gore insisted to Smith that Live Earth will set "a new green standard" for the music industry.

"A lot of these groups actually have been in the forefront in the vanguard of awareness of how to have a lighter impact on the environment," Gore continued. "Others are new to the cause, but the standards being set by these concerts will actually have a huge impact in and of itself, but this is all about changing the way people think, all around the world."

"We're gonna be delivering the same message worldwide to the largest audience ever for an entertainment event in the world, an estimated 2 billion people, and we're going to ask people to take a seven-point pledge to be a part of the solution to the climate crisis and, in their role as citizens in every nation, to put pressure on the leadership of their nation regardless of political party to make the changes necessary to solve the climate crisis."

Gore rejected the suggestion that Live Earth is simply preaching to the choir, appealing to those already fearful of the impact of global warming, while falling on deaf ears for others.

"You don't think Dick Cheney and George Bush will be watching this concert, do you?" Smith asked.

"Well, I hope they will. They do need to hear this message," Gore responded with a chuckle, "but, actually, studies show very clearly that, even though a majority of the people now do accept the fact that we are in the midst of this climate crisis, the sense of urgency that's appropriate for what is truly a planetary emergency is still not anywhere close to where it needs to be.

"We'll get there, but this Live Earth series of concerts is completely unprecedented."

Gore announced an additional Live Earth venue, the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian on the mall in Washington, D.C. He said he, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will open that concert.

"There were some naysayers who tried to say, 'No, you cannot have a concert on the mall,' but the cavalry didn't ride to the rescue, the American Indians did," Gore told Smith.

[sjc_1]

Hey alphaa1: Has the younger Gore been sentenced already?
Posted by no2koolaid at 04:17 AM : Jul 08, 2007

Leave it to a right wing fascists to try and obscure the point. How many times have Bush's kids gotten into trouble and have had it covered up.

How many times has Bush been drunk and high on cocaine and daddy covered it up.

Get real you right wing goose steppers, you are on the side of evil and you will be defeated.

[name_verify]

Democrat Party contribution to American history: slavery, segregation, IRS, nuclear weapons, CIA, gay marriage.

- Courtesy of Hillary/Barak 2008 Campaign to Save the Planet! -

(from the party that voted for it before they voted against it)

[sjc_1]

Try to stay current. WMD's are not the issue. The issue is to contain and eliminate the islamofascists OVER THERE so they don't come OVER HERE!!
Posted by no2koolaid at 11:28 AM : Jul 08, 2007

Unless that was sarcasm, I would say that YOU drank the Republican koolaid. Those clowns change the story every week. This week it is this next week it is that ...and the implication is that it always has been...revisionist history that Orwell wrote about.

[culebra775]

ubrew12 said -- "Your fearless leader is about to spend a trillion dollars and 4 to 5 thousand American lives securing WMD in Iraq, a country that doesn't have any?"

Try to stay current. WMD's are not the issue. The issue is to contain and eliminate the islamofascists OVER THERE so they don't come OVER HERE!!

[ubrew12]

no2koolaid said: "Yeah andor3 -- Al Gore is the Don Quixote of our generation. "

Just to understand you: Your fearless leader is about to spend a trillion dollars and 4 to 5 thousand American lives securing WMD in Iraq, a country that doesn't have any?
And GORE is Don Quixote???
Hmmm, maybe you're suffering from dehydration?

[culebra775]

Yeah andor3 -- Al Gore is the Don Quixote of our generation. Enjoy your Kool Aid.

[culebra775]

Hey alphaa1: Has the younger Gore been sentenced already?

[andor3]

Gotta love Al Gore! He's happy, he's successful, he's funny, and he's working for a great moral cause.

The whole fiasco where Bush stole the election is behind him and actually helped him--not only is he more of a leader than Bush ever could be, he is also more powerful than George Bush and more popular and is carving a legacy any of the Bushes can only dream of.

Shows what brains, perseverance, and knowing when to ignore the idiots can do to improve life anc change the world for the better. And have fun doing it. Just proves liberals know how to do good and have a good time!

[alphaa10-2009]

infidel_us spoke with forked tongue (again) as he joked, "'Hi, I'm ALGore.....please join me for the premiere of my next movie, "An Inconvenient Son."'"
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Both Al Gore and Bush1 share the burden of such inconvenient sons. And, yes, Bush2 has a complete list of "youthful" offenses to rival Gore's son. Papa Bush1 once said of the dissolute Bush2, "He's killing us!"

And now, we can only conclude it is jealousy which keeps Bush from recommending leniency for the younger Gore, to spare him from serving an "excessively harsh" sentence.

[alphaa10-2009]

There are some scientists who dissent from the prevailing view of human agency in global warming, but their number is relatively small. The accumulating evidence is becoming more difficult by the day to deny.

Even Bush agrees with German Chancellor Merkel to recognize human causation of global warming. Said Bush recently, "Each country needs to recognize that we must reduce our greenhouse gases and deal obviously with their own internal politics to come up with an effective strategy that hopefully when added together that it leads to a real reduction."

Bush has been on both sides of this issue, but apparently has wandered across the divide, if only for the sake of keeping the UK and EU happier with US policies. We should not forget Bush is the ideologue who in 2001 abrograted the just-signed Kyoto Treaty, in order not to burden any of his political donors in the US with pollution abatement.

Denial of global warming is a pet GOP cause, because taking responsible measures against climate change threatens the GOP cash cow of Big Oil. Ultimately, the GOP argument against global warming is about money, not science.

Ironically enough, any postponement of climate measures will be even more costly for all of us, GOP bozos included.