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Speaking at a day-long symposium he sponsored at New York University, the former president said he was distressed that the energy issue's link with both national security and environmental degradation received "almost no serious discussion" among the candidates or the media in the just-ended presidential campaign, even though this "may have a bigger impact on America and the world than virtually all the things that were debated."

Clinton has vowed to use his platform as an ex-president to promote the issue of reducing consumption of old energy sources such as petroleum and coal that produce the most "greenhouse gases." At the same time, he has stressed the importance of reducing U.S. reliance on unstable Middle Eastern governments -- a dependence he says complicates the fight against terrorism.

At yesterday's event, he brought together a roster of former top officials in his administration, as well as prominent outsiders such as Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez, who has spoken often on energy issues, and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.), who is sponsoring energy legislation with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Although the former president was not expressly addressing fellow Democrats, his remarks seemed to carry an implicit message to his party: that it can become more aggressive on energy issues without undue political consequences.