Former President Bill Clinton will be the keynote speaker Thursday at the Netroots Nation convention being held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center this week.

Netroots Nation is a group of liberal bloggers who use the Internet and grassroots activism to promote their causes and candidates.

In June, the President met with bloggers to discuss a range of topics, from the environment to health care to the role of today's new progressive era.

"At a time when we're all working together to make sure we get the change we voted for, President Clinton's message is spot-on. After all, holding our leaders accountable is one of the things bloggers and activists do best," said Netroots Nation Executive Director Raven Brooks. "We're thrilled to have President Clinton speak on Thursday, especially since governance and grassroots activism is such a huge focus of our convention this year.

In addition to President Clinton's address, the convention will feature a session titled "A Conversation With Valerie Jarrett," an interactive session with Sen. Arlen Specter and Rep. Joe Sestak and a town hall plenary on health care with Gov. Howard Dean.

The fourth annual gathering of Netroots Nation will take place Thursday to Sunday. It will include more than 70 panels led by national and international experts; prominent political, issue and policy-oriented speakers; 20 training sessions; and a progressive film screening series.