Al Gore 'Romney rich' after recent deals

When the lifelong public servant left office in 2001 after serving as Congressman, Senator, and Vice President, Al Gore was worth about $1.7 million. In the years since he lost the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush, he has amassed a fortune that Bloomberg called "Romney-rich."

Gore, 65, had an impressive January, when he sold his stake in the Current TV network, which he co-founded, to news outlet Al Jazeera. His 20 percent share was worth $100 million, and after debt Gore pocketed $70 million.

He then went on to exercise Apple stock grants worth roughly $30 million. That represents just around 60 percent of the shares of stock granted to Gore for serving on Apple's board since 2003. Gore has invested in a number of tech and green companies and successful hedge funds that add to his wealth.

Add that to profits from his best-selling books and his Oscar-winning movie "An Inconvenient Truth," plus the $175,000 speaking fees he commands, and Bloomberg reports Gore's worth to be at least $200 million, a figure that isn't too far off from Romney's reported $250 million.

Gore may have made his fortune as a technology advocate and climate change alarmist, but detractors note his lavish lifestyle leaves a carbon footprint he urges others to reduce. Tennessee Center for Policy Research issued a public records request and found Gore’s Nashville home utility bill, which showed almost 221,000 kilowatt-hours in 2006 -- 20 times the national average household consumption.