Point taken, JP; I will concede that that clause in my comment on Mr. Gore was unfair, though I stand by the rest. I allowed my irrational dislike of his 'irritatingly finger-wagging but nevertheless incredibly dull' style of oratory to get the better of me. However, now that I think of it, the 'new Gore: Enviroman' does raise an interesting point: in the current climate (oops, sorry!) of debate, it is very difficult indeed to distinguish positions held with genuine conviction from those forming part of a politician's/celebrity's PR toolbox, on any side of a given issue. In the case of 'celebrities,' the main problem of course is that in many cases these bodies are guided not so much by a fully functioning brain as by a thickening of the spinal cord which controls basic motor functions. Mr. Gore, on the other hand, is clearly intelligent, and I think in his case perhaps a combination of both? He/his handlers may well think that he can hitch a ride on this bandwagon and get back in the public eye (as I said, it's worked!) and he may well have some genuinely held views on the issue(s); further, he does seem to be one of those individuals who loves being nanny to us all -- and the environment is of course an issue which provides all kinds of opportunities to (expenses paid) hop on a kerosene-burning jet, fly to a paid forum, and tell everyone else to reduce his/her 'environmental footprint,' then head off to a nice reception/dinner, the cost of which would feed a third-world child and put him/her through primary/secondary school.

Second, and final, rant over.