There are plenty of current and former world leaders at the Clinton Global Initiative, starting with the founder, former President Bill Clinton. So it should be no surprise that the t wo men looking to join those ranks are scheduled to be there, too. Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama are both expected to address the conference on Thursday, at a session on water, food and energy issues. McCain opened the session in person and said energy-related issues are problems “that require us to call upon the best ideas of both parties,” McCain said. Obama was expected to close the session, and address attendees by satellite. The conference, now in its fourth year, draws world leaders, celebrities, activists and scholars for three days of discussions about pressing global issues such as climate change and poverty. It coincides with the General Assembly meeting taking place on the other side of town at the United Nations. The conference opened Wednesday, and attendees included former Vice President Al Gore, Bono, Bill Gates and Lance Armstrong. Famous faces like Muhammad Ali could be seen in the audience. Gore was joined at the opening plenary session by Clinton, Queen Rania of Jordan, Prince Turki Al-Faisal Al-Saud, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, Bono and E. Neville Isdell, chairman of the board of directors for Coca-Cola Co. "Since we met here last year, the world has lost ground to the climate crisis," Gore said. "This is a rout. We are losing badly." "This is the result of a dysfunctional, insane global system pattern that we have to change," he added. Clinton asked Bono whether the current financial crisis would affect the ability to meet global goals to improve life for the world's poorest people, Bono's answer questioned the nations' funding priorities. "It is extraordinary to me that you can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can't find $25 billion to save 25,000 children who die every day of preventable diseases and hunger," he said. "Bankruptcy is a serious business," he said, but added, "this is moral bankruptcy.”
