Remote patrol

This year, following the campaign season's hottest issue may involve watching the Weather Channel instead of CNN. "Frontline" (8 tonight, Channel 19) explains why with a timely program on global warming - and before you respond with "hoo boy," it's more interesting than you might think. The program opens with a key disclaimer: Scientists who think the Earth is heating up have only 100 years of climate data to lean on, which is like the blink of an eye given our planet's history. But obviously more humans are roaming the planet than ever. They're sucking precious carbon dioxide out of plants like never before and fueling the greenhouse effect. Want to see an extreme case of greenhouse? "Frontline" says turn your telescope to Mars. Yet despite wide consensus on this point, Vice President Gore couldn't get Congress to pass a treaty committing the U.S. to cut greenhouse emissions. "Frontline" chronicles that bizarre political defeat and considers what Gore will do about it - if anything - if he's elected environmentalist-in-chief. @ART CAPTION:Gore @ART:Photo >>>