Al Gore breaks his silence to give Obama his backing in race for the White House

Although the former Vice President won the popular vote in 2000, he
lost the disputed election to George Bush.

Now Mr Gore, 60, has come off the political fence to throw his
considerable influence behind the newly-minted Democrat nominee’s bid
for the White House.

Support: Al Gore has come off the political fence to back Barack Obama

Mr Gore, who won a Nobel Prize for his campaign to combat global
warming, publicly endorsed Mr Obama when the two men appeared
together at a rally in Detroit early today.

Although he served two terms as Bill Clinton’s running mate, Mr Gore
kept a discreet silence throughout the hard fought Democrat primaries.

But Mr Obama, 46, revealed yesterday that he spoke regularly with Mr
Gore to get ‘good political advice’ about issues such as the
environment during the nomination campaign.

Message: The audience at the rally in Detroit gets its point across

As one of the most popular figures in the Democrat party, Mr Gore’s
endorsement will give the Obama camp a massive boost in the
head-to-head campaign against Republican John McCain.

‘From now through Election Day, I intend to do whatever I can to make
sure he is elected president of the United States,’ Mr Gore confirmed
last night.

He added: ‘Over the past 18 months, Barack Obama has united a movement.

'He knows change does not come from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or Capitol
Hill. It begins when people stand up and take action.’