Crow-Rove argument heats up black-tie event

WASHINGTON — Karl Rove's debate with singer Sheryl Crow and producer Laurie David about global warming heated the atmosphere at a black-tie Washington dinner Saturday night.

On the eve of Earth Day, Crow and David — producer of "An Inconvenient Truth," the Oscar-winning documentary on global warming — walked over to the presidential adviser's table at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton.

Their differences on global warming quickly bubbled over.

"I am floored by what I just experienced with Karl Rove," David said later. "I went over to him and said, 'I urge you to take a new look at global warming.' He went zero to 100 with me. ... I've never had anyone be so rude."

Rove's version: "She came over to insult me, and she succeeded."

Things got so hot that Crow stepped in to defuse the situation and then got into it with Rove herself. "You work for me," she told the presidential adviser, according to singed bystanders.

"No," was his response. "I work for the American people."

Heather Lylis, a spokeswoman for Crow and David's global-warming tour, said Sunday that Crow's response for Rove was: "Yes, and I'm an American citizen."