Al Gore deserves to be our next President. I’d vote for him in a New York minute. But the more I think of it, the more I think that it's better for us, and better for him, if he isn't. He knows it. And many of us don't. Here's why.
Al Gore wants to save the planet. That’s his reason for being. Yeah, saving Social Security and re-overhauling Medicare rank right up there in terms of Things to Do in politics, but as president, it would come at the cost of efforts he would otherwise be expending on the environment. I think that if he senses no other alternative, he’ll try to save the planet as President of the United States...but...being President distracts from his goal, because there’d be so much other crap on his plate to attend to in addition to the planet. He’s happy the way he’s impacting the status quo now, and he’ll really get his ass into gear once the next administration gets into office. The next Democratic administration, that is.
And that’s the kicker, I think. If a top-tier Dem has the election in the bag, then there’s no reason for Gore to contemplate running for the Presidency. With a Dem president, who thinks Al Gore won't be appointed the highest administration post possible so he can pursue what’s important? Hell, they’ll probably create one for him – Secretary of the Exterior, with Agriculture, Energy, and the Interior reporting to him, along with the subtitle, Czar of International Environmental Policy. Or something dramatic like that. Let the Edwards/Obama/Clinton presidency deal with the war, with health care, with the economy, and publicity surrounding the new Nuremberg/Hague trials. Gore will take care of the planet, and for him, and us, that’s enough. And since "Secretary of the Exterior" shortens up nicely to S. Ex, I’m sure Al wouldn’t mind the contraction one bit.
But for that to happen, Al Gore has to remain pretty sure that the next president is a Democrat. And in spite of the momentum we have now, that ain’t a done deal. That’s why Gore’s not unequivocal: he doesn’t want to run, but he might have to run. The GOoPers are gonna throw everything they got at the candidates, hoping for something to stick just by accident, and the chances of something sticking to at least one or two of the top tier are pretty good. That’ll take everyone else down a notch. Combine that with a Republican rising star with street cred, and suddenly there’s a real race. And if a Vilsack or Kucinich start to dukakis their way to a nomination, then a Democratic president becomes much less certain.
Those are the circumstances I don’t think Al Gore wants to see, and neither should we want to see them. An Al Gore announcement means we’re having trouble with our other candidates, and the presidency must be rescued, rather than won handily. Sure, we’ll hear of some Gorons planning a campaign strategy, but for now, I’d file that as just-in-case stuff: if our top choices fail or flame out for whatever reason, there won’t be enough time to knit a safety net for the next Democratic presidency – the net needs to be in place now, even if there is no intention to use it. It could be Al’s way of saying: I got your backs.
So I’ll be perfectly content to not see Al Gore as United States President; it’ll be just as comforting to know that he’ll be hard at work, making an even bigger difference.