Legal Commentary

Bill Clinton Compares Obama and McCain on Environment

By Jeralyn

Former President Bill Clinton is in Aspen at the Ideas Festival. Today he's playing golf, but he spoke yesterday to a crowd of 700.

Via Troy Hooper, Editor of the Aspen Daily News, in the Denver Post:

It's well-documented that Clinton is no angel either but he remains a rock star of the Democratic Party and was the headliner at the festival, hosted by the Aspen Institute.

He filled the Greenwald Pavilion with more than 700 high-powered attendees who greeted him with an extended standing ovation. Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, was seated next to Gen. Colin Powell front and center.

Much of Clinton's remarks centered on the Africa election in Zimbabwe, calling for Robert Mugabe either to step down or "form a power-sharing arrangement with his chief opponent."

He didn't mention Hillary or the Democratic nomination for President, but he had this to say about John McCain and Barack Obama on environmental policy: [More...]

While Clinton spoke at length about the contest in Zimbabwe, only once did he bring up his own country's pending presidential election. Without mentioning either one of them by name, he pointed out that both Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain advocate pro-environmental platforms.

"Both of our candidates have positions that guarantee that there will be a price set for carbon and we'll start to do something about climate change," he said.

Surprising? Not really. He wasn't there to discuss the election but humanitarian issues. As Aspen Daily News reporter Andrew Travers writes:

Addressing a panoply of world issues from climate change and alternative energy to food security and AIDS yesterday at the Aspen Ideas Festival, the former president argued that creatively rethinking and reorganizing current global problem-solving methods would vastly improve civilization.

Clinton’s remarks, void of applause-lines or partisan rhetoric, seemed to mark a return to the humanitarian mission that has driven his post-presidency, after spending much of this year on Sen. Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

Clinton did not address the Obama-McCain presidential match-up, his former first lady’s unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination, or his reported reconciliation with Sen. Barack Obama last week.

Side notes on his visit: He ate at Matsuhisa (Nobu in some parts of the country) and Campo di Fiore...both execellent choices in my view...and walked along the Main St. mall. Aspen has always had a crush on Clinton. As Hooper writes:

And while Clinton has said he loves Aspen, the town doesn't hide its affection for him. His Secret Service detail often allows passersby to greet him with handshakes, hugs and an occasional photograph.Voters in Pitkin County showed him overwhelming support during his back-to-back presidential election triumphs in the 1990s.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on July 06, 2008 (boomark / email).