Obama backing, Gore curious

I am becoming increasingly interested in the prospect of Al Gore running for president again in 2008. After all, third time is a charm, right? And hell, he's already won the damn thing once! So why not? Why not just wait till October, collect your Nobel Prize, let the big 3 beat the hell out of each other all summer long, and then gallop in on a big white stallion to save the race and galvanize Dem voters? He's rich, so money is not a concern. He's probably the most erudite candidate you could hope for, and this time he won't have a bevy of tired old DC consultants holding him back. If anything, you'd have a real maverick candidate on your hands. He is not fettered to any constituency or special interest (he IS the anti-global warming lobby, and I can assure you it is not a very big or powerful special interest), and at the very least he can ensure that his pet issue, climate change, is part of the debate in 2008.

People who read this and shutter and think back to the stiff that ran in '00 have not been following the evolution of Mr Gore well enough. Because I am a bit of a political junky (read: nerd), I have been, and I am quite impressed. Even his denial of wanting to run for presidency impresses me, as quoted in Bob Herbert's [bullshit-firewalled] column today, "I don't really think I'm that good at politics... What politics has become requires a level of tolerance for triviality and artifice and nonsense that I find I have in short supply." Me too, and it's why I am leaving DC!! And at the end of the day, Gore's realization of this and his distaste for it will probably be what compels him to stay out of the race come October or November of this year... but if he does run, watch out.

Prediction: Gore will flirt with the candidacy all summer, issue denial after denial, put increasing pressure on someone to take up his climate change mantle, but in the end will not run. 2012 is a different story, especially if the GOP win in '08, but also if Dems don't move on meaningful climate change policy by then.

Am I becoming one of those, "dated Obama, married (diff. candidate)" types? I don't think so, definitely not at this stage in the game, but remember what my mom always told me: All wise people change their minds. Wonder if Mrs. Gore taught little Al that too?