I've been holding off mentioning this for awhile, but here goes.
My dream ticket for 2008 would look like this:
Barack Obama for President
Albert Gore for Vice President
I think if and when Barack Obama wins the nomination of our party, the first thing he should do is offer the VP slot to former Vice President Al Gore. If Al Gore choses to offer his service to our nation again by saying yes, we would have what I would consider to be the soundest, most assured Democratic ticket in 2008, if not in our nation's history.
We would also, on that day, send a clarion signal to the world:
Things are going to change in the politics of the United States.
I think Al Gore has known for some time that he could not effectively run for President again despite the high regard he is held by millions in our nation. However, I do not think that means that Al Gore would refuse to serve again in the office of the Vice President if he was asked to by Senator Barack Obama.
(Let's be clear, there is only one candidate Al Gore probably would countenance serving as VP for...and that is Barack Obama.)
Obama/Gore would be a powerful ticket. It is, I think the most powerful ticket the Democratic Party could put forth in 2008. It would be forward-looking and feature the two strongest Democrats in our party.
Al Gore is a singular individual. As Vice President from 1993-2000 he reinvented that office and helped reinvent government. As a champion of the environment and advocate of technological innovation, he stands head and shoulders above every other politician in his generation for his commitment to communicating the hard truths concerning our changing climate and the hard work we all need to do to change course. Al Gore is a Nobel Laureate, a statesman, and eminently qualified in matters of national security and would be able to step in, at a moment's notice to serve our nation if the need arose.
Al Gore is a singular enough figure in our history, that he might just consider serving as Vice President for another term if called to that duty by the most promising and singular leader of our generation. Further, I personally feel that Al Gore has unfinished business in our nation's capital. I think he would make a remarkable addition to our executive team. (And, yes, I would love to see him campaign in Florida and Ohio.)
The world has changed and complexified in the last 25 years and the office of the Vice President has changed with it. Dick Cheney, for all his abuse of power, has nevertheless continued what Al Gore started in 1993, adding the role of chief adviser and strategic confidant to the Vice Presidency by clearly stating that his goal was not so much the Presidency itself someday, but to be of service to the nation as part of an executive team.
I can think of no better Vice Presidential candidate the Democrats could put forward who might correct all that has been so wrong about Dick Cheney's years in that office, but who also, in a complex and tumultuous world, might reaffirm the new and valid role that the "powerful Vice President" has within the Modern Presidency.
Al Gore would complement Barack Obama perfectly. This ticket would be platinum strength. And, I think, if there is one historical mission Al Gore would accept, it might well be to run on the ticket that elected the first African American President of the United States.
That is my dream ticket. I've hesitated to mention it before tonight because I think Barack Obama has so far to go, yet, in his quest for the Democratic nomination. Either he or Senator Clinton might well yet win. (I do doubt Senator Clinton would offer a VP slot to Al Gore...but that's another matter.) I acknowledge all that and pledge to renew my efforts on Senator Obama's behalf and not put the cart before the horse.
That being said, I think Democrats should consider this. There is a path to this Dream Ticket. First we have to vote to give Barack Obama the nomination and pitch in to help him win in states that have yet to have their say, and then Senator Obama has to make an offer to Vice President Gore.
Would Obama make that offer? Would Gore say yes?
I certainly hope so. For the moment he did, it would send a message around the world, a powerful message.
Obama/Gore in 08 would be a lightning bolt. It would be a clarion call with a moral conviction about a change in direction for our nation and our world.
I cannot imagine a better ticket in 2008 than one featuring Barack Obama and Albert Gore.
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