While Clinton spoke at length about the contest in Zimbabwe, only once did he bring up his own country's pending presidential election. Without mentioning either one of them by name, he pointed out that both Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain advocate pro-environmental platforms.

"Both of our candidates have positions that guarantee that there will be a price set for carbon and we'll start to do something about climate change," he said.

Surprising? Not really. He wasn't there to discuss the election but humanitarian issues. As Aspen Daily News reporter Andrew Travers writes:

Addressing a panoply of world issues from climate change and alternative energy to food security and AIDS yesterday at the Aspen Ideas Festival, the former president argued that creatively rethinking and reorganizing current global problem-solving methods would vastly improve civilization.

Clinton’s remarks, void of applause-lines or partisan rhetoric, seemed to mark a return to the humanitarian mission that has driven his post-presidency, after spending much of this year on Sen. Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

Clinton did not address the Obama-McCain presidential match-up, his former first lady’s unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination, or hi