Talk of Al Gore for 2008

I take Al Gore seriously and admire much of what he has said in the last three years. He's one of the few politicians who has been willing to call it like it is. But I'm not sure I could go through another race with Al Gore. And I admit that I want a prominent name who can come out from time to time to speak the truth to the American people, and that's much harder to do once you start running for office again.

But I've been meaning to highlight more potential Democratic candidates for president. Al Gore is being considered, whether he likes it or not. Here's an article from Raw Story:

Does Al Gore want to do it again? Hard as it is to believe, the question is suddenly under serious discussion.

The former vice-president is the subject of a new documentary about global warming that opens on Wednesday. And the buzz he has been generating is fuelling speculation that he may want to return to politics.

A poll released this week by National Journal, a Washington magazine, showed Mr Gore moving into fourth place when Democratic “insiders” were asked who had the best chance of winning the party’s 2008 presidential nomination – up from ninth place in December.

Mr Gore insists he has “no plans” to run again and that he is committed to his campaign to protect the planet.

But for some Democrats he represents a viable alternative to Hillary Clinton, the 2008 frontrunner, who they fear is too polarising a figure to be elected president. With a network of activist supporters and financial backers and an aura of celebrity, he is one of the few politicians who could enter the race late in the game and be able to wage a national campaign.

Al Gore would make an excellent president and he's a better speaker than he was six years ago. And yet, I believe the next president needs to be someone who can get the message across clearly. Hillary Clinton (not necessarily my first choice), John Edwards and Russ Feingold are better and more natural speakers. Wesley Clark is up there as well. But if Gore can overcome the baggage the Republican PR machine has saddled him with, he could be a force. Already, Gore's image is better than it was in 2000 when he was running for president. And it's hard not to admire him.