Nobel Prize Renews Calls of 'Run, Al, run'

[Purveyor]

WASHINGTON - Al Gore's shared Nobel Peace Prize for his work on global warming, announced Friday, caps a year of accolades for the former vice president.

In March, he won an Academy Award for a documentary on climate change, "An Inconvenient Truth." In May, his latest book, "The Assault on Reason," debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list. In September, his interactive cable network, Current TV, won an Emmy.

Now, the man who nearly won the presidency in 2000 faces another round of "Will Al run for president?" In anticipation of the Nobel Prize, the draft-Gore movement has been ramping up its efforts.

Fewer than three months before the Iowa caucuses, Mr. Gore could still jump in, given his fame, campaign experience, and fund-raising network, political analysts say. But he has all but ruled it out – leaving the tiniest crack open, perhaps to give his message on the future of the planet extra attention. Sources close to Gore say he has no plans to run.

So why is there still this yearning for another Gore candidacy? After all, Democrats tell pollsters they're happy with their slate of candidates – happier than the Republicans are with theirs. Yet Gore still gets 10 percent or more of the Democratic primary vote in national polls.

"First, there's a lingering frustration from 2000 that gets heightened because of all the problems that have confronted the Bush administration," says John Geer, a political scientist at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. "Gore's been right about the big issues of the last 20 years. People can make fun of him, but ... this is someone who has a pretty good track record."

---EOE---

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1015/p02s01-ussc.html

[Uncle Joe]

1. I believe this is a key paragraph.

"Ms. Ronhovde, a retired social worker, says the continued appeal of a Gore presidency goes beyond what that would mean for advancing his global-warming agenda. "The Assault on Reason," she says, shows that he's thinking big about the future of the United States and the world. The book lays out not just a blistering indictment of the Bush administration but also a critique of America's entire political system, including blame for the media and their obsession with trivia."

Thanks for the thread, Purveyor.

[IndyOp]

2. Excellent paragraph, indeed! I like this one, too:

Perhaps the only way for Gore to shut down the draft effort once and for all is to make an endorsement in the presidential race. He recently told the Harvard-focused magazine 02138 that he would endorse a Democrat. But more recently he told CNN that he was not sure.

:D

[Uncle Joe]

5. I agree IndyOp, that is another key paragraph.

:thumbsup:

[shireen]

4. i'm glad someone's thinking big about the future of the US and world

i haven't seen much of that perspective from other national leaders.

If Gore does not run, I don't know how to be an optimist anymore.

[Uncle Joe]

6. That is an equally tough challenge for my self, shireen

:hug: This may sound cosmic but I believe regardless of our beliefs, non-beliefs or nationalities, we're all related. All I can say is take care and keep up the good fight.

[shireen]

3. article mentions tension btwn Gore and Mrs. Clinton ...

what happened?