I, like many at dkos, spend my free waking moments analyzing every possible election around the country. About 40% of my brainpower is used to analyzing possible presidential match-ups, especially since I live in New Hampshire and we're at the forefront of all the developments. Somehow, I never had this thought occur to me: Al Gore, in 2008, can (and definitely should) run for Vice President. Let me explain.
First off, Al Gore is eligible to be Vice President for another term. In fact, not just one more term, but unlimited terms. Let's look at wikipedia's article on Vice President of the United States:
The Vice President must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, at least thirty-five years of age and a resident of the U.S. for 14 years. The Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution requires vice presidents to meet the same eligibility requirements as presidents, and the Twenty-second Amendment limits presidents to being elected to the presidency to only two terms (any period of service in the office of president for two years or more counts as one term). Thus, the maximum number of years a person may serve as president is ten years (two four-year terms and one two-year term having succeeded to the presidency). Once a person is ineligible to the office of president, he is ineligible to the office of vice president. However, a person who has never served six or more years as president (one four-year elected term and one term less than two years having succeeded to the presidency) is eligible for an unlimited number of terms as vice president.
That last part says it all. So now we know Gore is eligible. The question is, will he do it?
I would say it's a good possibility. Yes, we kossacks are incredibly hard to satisfy, and the single most netroots-friendly and (arguably) most progressive candidates are dropping out: Sen. Russ Feingold, and Gen. Wesley Clark (he still might run). So we're left hungering for somehow who resonates with us, and like Kos said earlier this week, there are just three candidates left for him (and the majority of us): Obama, Edwards, and Richardson. All have their own problems, and as the process plays out we'll be able to see all sides of them and make a final decision before we head into the (primary) voting booth. I always tell myself that, in keeping that no one candidate will ever completely satisfy me, all of these candidates will act incredibly differently as presidents than the way they run their campaigns. President Obama may be a complete flop on [x signature issue] and have no political capital, but President Richardson may be an energetic, deal-broker who, though he's not the perfect progressive on say Healthcare, he may move forward on Global Warming and Diplomacy in Iran. Anyway, this is a tangent, sorry.
Gore has said that .
"I have no intention to run for president," he told the BBC last week. "I can't imagine in any circumstance to run for office again."
So what are we Gore kiddos left with? The faint possibility that the new [hopefully] Democratic President will appoint Gore to be the Secretary of Energy? EPA head? I have so, for the reality-based community that we are, that's a no-brainer. Not gonna happen. Gore is doing amazing work that goes beyond a simple cabinet-level job, and those would limit him with day-to-day activities that someone else would (more happily I might add) do and do well. Gore as Vice President, something he hasn't explicitly ruled out, would be a strong champion for environmental causes, without all the pressures of the presidency and the incredible, marathon-run to get to the office itself. Someone like Obama, or Edwards, or Richardson could all choose Gore. Obama/Gore? Doesn't that excite people just as much? Gore balances out any ticket with his vast, wide-ranging experience, electability-checklist (Southern, Executive Office, High-Profile, Name Recognition), Rock Star-status (possible Oscar, Nobel Peace Prize, all of the Inconvenient Truth stuff), and his commitment and leadership (the worldwide Energy and Resource crisis is something he absolutely owns). The same things that make him the perfect president make him the beyond-perfect Vice President. He would guide Obama et al. to the inner workings of the Executive/Legislative branches, and he would still be able to do his own thing.
All they (Democratic '08 candidates) would have to do is choose him! Go through the process at the end of the Primary campaign, and pick Gore, and then it's a couple-month sprint to the Presidency. Gore would have incredibly publicity (think every time Cheney makes a stupid Iraq comment, except now it's Gore mobilizing people to care about Global Warming and a host of other issues), and he would be able to travel around the world as the de facto head of state for various events. He would be put in contact with every major world figure and scientist and other people, and he would be able to continue his passion for Environmental issues. And in case anything bad happens, voila (sorry to sound heartless), President dies and Gore succeeds to the office we all know he won in 2000. So he's got the insurance policy thing going.
Another reason this excites me is because Gore is actually very young. Currently, Al Gore is 58. He will be 60 in '08, younger than John Kerry and George W. Bush. He is relatively as far as Presidential candidates go, and he could serve 8 more years as Vice President and be healthy and vibrant at 68 in 2016. He would be the incumbent vice president, and still be eligible to run for president. To give some perspective, John McCain is currently 70 and will be 72 as he tries to capture the office he's been flip-flopping all over the place to get to in 2008. Gore is young, and will be young when he runs for president in 2016.
We need Gore. The Vice Presidency is no downgrade as a job for him, it's just something he's done before and can do again, even better this time. Gore for Vice Presidency in '08, anyone?