Gore having been my personal pick for the nominee this year, this diary is meant as a question to those here who were active in the movement to encourage him to run. We were most disappointed, but probably not surprised that he declined to enter the race. Given that he has no enduring love for the Clintons--Hillary perhaps having been Bill's heir apparent all along--I would think that Gore would enter the current fray with an endorsement for Obama or Edwards, though probably Obama. It would make sense for him to back the winner this year unlike 2004, so if Obama is close, I could imagine Gore working to push him over the edge. Obama has been depositing Gore-friendly language in his speeches and debates, though Obama (like Edwards and Clinton) ultimately needs to be much stronger on climate change.
What is the word out there in Gore circles? Is there any talk of a Gore endorsement before Feb. 5? He with Kerry might just tilt California for Obama if the race was tight there.
The contrarians' argument will be that he wouldn't want to sully his global reputation by wading into the cesspool of the current intra-party viciousness. Or that endorsements are over-rated. But a Gore endorsement, over-rated, today?
Truly, what does he have to lose? He's won every prize he can win. He can pick a winner and if that person doesn't win the nomination, he will still have huge domestic and global popularity to push the new President towards environmentally sound policies. At this stage, Gore seems untouchable, at least politically. And he's not going away.
What do folks think about a Gore endorsement?