The Ostroy Report--another blogspot blog--has a thoughtful article today about Al Gore's potential run for the White House in 2008. In fact, the Vice-President has done the big turnabout. I have heard a couple of his speeches on cable over the last year, and they were fantastic. He has shed the policy-geek aura in favor of high impassioned oratory. Click on the title of this post to link to this blog posting.
A lot of us feel like we owe one to Al after the 2000 travesty. He has long been opposed to the war in Iraq (unlike the other potential demo candidates like Hillary, who voted to go to war). Al Gore has recently helped airlift hospitalized patients from New Orleans (including paying for the charters). . .he did so very quietly, and refused to be interviewed. He probably has more curb appeal right now to the American public than the competition.
A glance at the list of potential candidates, and you realize he starts to look very good indeed.
Senator Evan Bayh
Ex-Gen. Wesley Clark
Senator Hillary Clinton
Ex-Senator Tom Daschle
Senator John Edwards
Senator Russ Feingold
Governor Bill Richardson
Governor Mark Warner
Senator John Kerry
Senator Joseph Biden
As for the G.O.P., there is a long list of potential candidates, including
Senator Dr. Bill Frist
Ex-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich
Ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Senator John McCain
Governor George Pataki
Governor Tim Pawlenty
Governor Mike Huckabee
Governor Jeb Bush (like we're going to be fooled a third time)
Ex-Governor Mark Racicot
Governor Mitt Romney
Governor Mitt Romney
The spookiest one is Senator McCain. If he can keep himself under control, he will have a lot of cross-party appeal, despite the fact that he is essentially a hard-core conservative. In these increasingly tight Presidential races, cross-party appeal could well be the overwhelming deciding factor. McCain's maverick/renegade reputation can only help. It's tough to tell with Republicans, 'though. I thought Bob Dole was a shoe-in, and I was sure that George W. Bush was a joke.
Between the President's plummeting ratings, runaway federal spending and debt, the war in Iraq, the Hurricane Katrina fiasco, and whatever comes up next, this could be a pretty crazy election. It just may be Al Gore's time.
---o0o---
Apparently the times are too much for Dubya: Bush Falls off the Wagon."
ReplyDeleteI used to read Vanity Fair fairly regularly to keep up on the OJ mess. One of the things that Dominick Dunne said was that The National Enquirer had gone straight and only reported the truth, at least as regarding the OJ trial!
So believe it or not, I believe this story.
I could almost believe this story. . .but I think really, if he was under that much stress, he'd just chop more wood, ride his bike more.
ReplyDeleteAny normal person would start seriously drinking; he is not a normal person... /jack