At a committee hearing Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton said that after years of delay, global warming was "an issue whose time has come."

"If we look at where we are ... we are not making progress. In fact, emissions are still going up," she said.

"I'm hoping that we can get beyond the usual rhetoric and try to find some common ground," said Clinton, who currently leads the field of Democratic contenders for her party's 2008 presidential nomination.

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