Gore a Likely Convention Star

The Democrats haven't finalized the lineup for their upcoming convention in Denver, but one man seems certain to land a central role in the proceedings: Al Gore. Once mocked for his wooden style, Gore now enjoys even higher approval ratings than Barack Obama, Reuters reports. Tickets for a recent Gore lecture were snapped up in less than 24 hours.

Gore's transformed persona has won him new fans in Washington as well. With a Nobel Prize in one hand and an Oscar in the other, he now commands respect from a huge swath of the political establishment. Both presidential candidates have embraced the former VP's challenge on renewable fuels. "There has been no more successful defeated presidential candidate," said one historian.