By IAN BISHOP
February 26, 2007
Former Vice President Al Gore snatched the Oscar for Best Documentary for his film "An Inconvenient Truth," and told his cheering audience that global warming is "a moral issue."
"My fellow Americans, people all over the world, we need to solve the climate crisis," he said in his very brief acceptance speech.
"It's not a political issue, it's a moral issue. We have everything we need to get started, with the possible exception of the will to act." That, he said, is a "renewable resource."
Earlier in the evening, he provided one of the funniest moments of the show.
In an uproarious spoof, Oscar gave him the hook before he could make a "major" political announcement.
His fellow award presenter, Leonardo DiCaprio, repeatedly asked Gore if he had any "major" announcements to make - the crowd clapping amid the presidential overtones.
"I'm just here for the movies, Leo," Gore insisted, before finally relenting to DiCaprio's numerous pleadings.
"Even though I honestly had not planned on doing this, I guess with a billion people watching, it's as good a time as any," Gore said as he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket.
"My fellow Americans," Gore said as he unfolded the paper. "I'm going to take this opportunity right here and now to formally announce my intentions . . ."
But then the Oscar theme music, played when winners drone on too long in their victory speeches, drowned out the former veep.
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