The long-term goal may be saving Earth, but a short-term one for Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is winning the backing of Al Gore.

The former Vice President, who won a Nobel prize for his work to combat rising temperatures, is also one of the superdelegates and one of the most influential Democratic Party leaders likely to determine who wins the nomination.

So the dueling candidates praise Gore during campaign speeches, offer up roles for him in future administrations, and, of course, keep in touch.

“They both call. And I appreciate that fact,” Gore said on 60 Minutes.

Barack Obama says he keeps in regular contact with Al Gore and has pledged to make him a major player on global warming in an Obama administration.

“I will make a commitment that Al Gore will be at the table and play a central part in us figuring out how we solve this problem,” Obama said.

Hillary Clinton says she does not know whether Al Gore wanted to get back into government but is certain the American people would welcome it.

“I am very dependent upon the work that Al Gore has done for so many years on behalf of climate change,” the former First Lady said.

Al Gore’s spokeswoman, Kalee Kreider, declined to comment on the Obama offer but was complimentary about all three of the presidential candidates.

“Former Vice President Gore thinks that both candidates are very strong. Both of them have offered plans to address the worsening climate crisis … as has Senator John McCain,” she said. “It’s a real turnaround to have candidates on both sides of the aisle offering, you know, solutions and plans to the climate crisis.”

Gore, who narrowly lost the 2000 election to George W. Bush, has dedicated most of his professional life since then to fighting climate change.

Although he may not be eager to get back into the political fray as the tight race between Obama and Clinton rages on, Gore definitely has an agenda: to make certain that global warming on the top of the president’s priority list.

All three candidates have made climate proposals that go far beyond George W. Bush’s pathetic policies, including a cap on carbon dioxide pollution and some stronger emissions trading systems similar to the European Union’s.

“The most important role that Vice President Gore plays for all candidates is to raise the bar very high on what needs to be done to solve this critical problem,” said Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters.

Without question, keeping the issue prominent on the campaign trail will give the next U.S. president a mandate to put new policies into place.

For this reason, Al Gore may decline to spend political capital and not make an endorsement until the party decides on its candidate.

Environmentalists say a new president, armed with the right policies and a cooperative Congress, could finally make Washington an influential leader.

But for any new U.S. policies to succeed, American citizens will have to be engaged, a problem Al Gore has aimed to address with his climate campaigns - and with the dwindling supply of cheap oil, is hitting home with more folks each day.

All three remaining presidential hopefuls talk readily about global warming and climate change while campaigning to be our 44th chief executive:

• In Michigan, Obama talked about the need for an attitude adjustment among Americans, admonishing car makers to make more efficient vehicles.
• Clinton has said she would promote “green-collar” employment to replace lost manufacturing jobs in the Midwest and around the country.
• Even McCain argues that even if global warming is not as bad as people say, working to stop it will have beneficial effects.