Horserace
October 12, 2007 8:20 AM

Starting Gate: The Revenge Of Al Gore?

By
Vaughn Ververs
Topics
Starting Gate
(Mat Szwajkos/Getty Images)
Time to revamp that old line about revenge being best served cold. In the case of Al Gore, it may be best served globally warm. With his crusade on climate change, Gore has won personal, public and political redemption, an Academy Award and, now, a Nobel Peace Prize. And suddenly, he's landed smack-dab in the middle of a 2008 presidential campaign heretofore dominated by an old rival – Hillary Clinton.

Long gone are the days of the 1992 campaign when the Clintons and Gores barnstormed the nation connected at the hip like lifetime friends on a family vacation. Eight years of the Clinton presidency – and one bitter campaign in 2000 – have left the two power couples estranged and, perhaps, resentful.

The Clintons think that Gore's decision to distance himself from the administration fumbled away what would have been a resounding affirmation of its record after the tumultuous impeachment of the president. The Gores believe that Clinton's tryst with Monica Lewinsky combined with a general malaise after eight years of high drama, prevented Gore from winning that razor-thin election easily.

Another eight years later, Hillary Clinton is riding high in her bid to win the Democratic nomination and Al Gore is an international superstar. Now the question is, will Al run? The answer is most likely no, but that doesn't mean Gore still can't cause plenty of trouble for Clinton in the nomination fight.

While Gore's stature would certainly allow him to enter the race at the highest levels, he would face plenty of practical obstacles in organizing a real campaign. He would lose the luster he currently carries and be forced into a process that has been in place for nearly a year. Besides, Gore is basking in the glow of his newfound stardom, not to mention making a very comfortable living in the process. Why give that up for the rough-and-tumble of a campaign?

But the mere speculation serves to take some of the steam out of Clinton's machine-like march to the nomination. When ads are being run in the New York Times begging Gore to run, it signals at least a measure of dissatisfaction with the field and the front-runner. Even if Gore were to outright rule out the possibility or when the filing deadlines have passed, the former vice president still holds a card – the endorsement. Should Gore publicly and strongly back and campaign on behalf of, say Barack Obama, it could be one of the most important endorsements of the campaign.

Of course, Gore endorsed Howard Dean in 2004 and we know how that worked out. But 2008 is not 2004 – or 2000 or 1992. Plenty has changed since and Gore is almost literally on top of the world at the moment. He's hot – will he heat up this campaign?


Rudy And Romney, Round Three: The sniping between Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani continues to heat up. Yesterday, the former mayor latched onto comments Romney made in the GOP debate earlier this week, calling on the former governor to admit his mistake. In the debate, Romney was asked whether, as president, he would seek congressional authority for military action against Iranian nuclear facilities. Romney responded, in part, that he would first consult his attorneys.

The comment looked to be a flub – asking lawyers about national security issues is probably not the best approach – but Romney points to the other part of his answer where he said, "the president of the United States has to do what's in the best interest of the United States to protect us against a potential threat."

But Giuliani was more than happy to keep the "lawyers" part of the answer out there, telling reporters, "He made a mistake -- he knows it. Giuliani said Romney should "tell the American people, 'I made a mistake.'"


What Did You Do During The Iran War? Forget Iraq, it's Iran that is becoming the focus of the Democratic race. Obama told CNN that it's time to start taking the gloves off: "I think that now is the time where we're going to be laying a very clear contrast between myself and Senator Clinton. Not just on the past, not just on Iraq but on moving forward. How would we approach Iran, for example." Obama has been criticizing Clinton of late about her vote to urge the administration to declare Iran's Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. Obama and other Democrats claim that vote provides cover for the administration to take military action against Iran.

Obama, however, did not vote on that sense of the Senate resolution, saying that he was campaigning in New Hampshire at the time. "This is one of the problems with running for president," Obama told the Chicago Tribune. "You can't always anticipate which votes are which, but I put out a statement at the time stating that this was a bad idea and that I would have voted against it." Easy for him to say. Clinton spokesman Phil Singer fired back, "If Senator Obama felt so strongly about this resolution, why didn't he speak out against it or vote against it?"


Around The Track

  • Former President Jimmy Carter said he would support Gore in a presidential bid, telling the AP: "I wish he would (run). If he ran, I would publicly endorse him. And he knows it. I've already told him that personally, and I've announced it several times."

  • Giuliani is set to unveil a "major" endorsement today. Rumors say it will be South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. Perhaps in a preemptive strike, Romney yesterday began running a 30-second radio ad in the state featuring his high-profile South Carolina backer, Senator Jim DeMint.

  • John Edwards responded yesterday to a story in the National Enquirer claiming that he had an affair with former campaign staffer. Edwards told reporters, "The story is false. It's completely untrue, ridiculous." Talking about his wife, Elizabeth, Edwards added, "I've been in love with the same woman for 30-plus years, and as anybody who's been around us knows, she's an extraordinary human being, warm, loving, beautiful, sexy and as good a person as I have ever known. So the story's just false."

  • McCain giving up on Iowa? In the words of Lee Corso, "not so fast my friend." McCain is on a three-day swing through the state and promises he'll be back often. "This is a tough state, and I have a long road ahead. But I am here now; I am going to be back a lot, and I intend to do well," he told the Des Moines Register.

  • Struggling to win GOP primary voters, Sam Brownback thinks he may have found something to boost his campaign – snuggle up to a Democratic presidential candidate in Iowa. Brownback will join Joe Biden there today to discuss Biden's proposal to divide Iraq into separate regions. "I'll be talking about the need to come together in a bipartisan fashion for a political solution in Iraq. I think it will really resonate with Iowa voters who are tired of the political bickering and want to see some people working together to get this figured out," Brownback said.

    • Add a Comment See all 15 Comments
    by tnt1954 October 13, 2007 2:05 PM EDT
    when you go out for revenge, take
    two shovels. lee van cleef,
    said the line, revenge is a dish
    best eaten cold in one of the
    western movies he was in, as
    colonel mortimer of the South
    after the civil war. of course,
    never fear, the confederacy
    is still plotting to overthrow
    the Union. they will never
    forgive lincoln, the North
    for absolutely decimating the
    South. and all its good food,
    beautiful plantations and way
    of life. you think the civil
    war is forgotten?think again.
    hey northerners? where ya
    gonna get your food? your
    growing season is way too short?
    little short on cash for food?
    then fast, and enjoy the famine.
    the South was agricultural,
    the North industrial. you can''t
    eat a tractor. construction
    company fools in the South.
    ruining land to grow food on.
    tobacco road, one of the best
    songs of the 60''s. but remember
    no smoking. lol.
    Reply to this comment
    by nvme3 October 13, 2007 12:37 PM EDT
    Well The koolaid drinkers are out in force. Wow an American won a noble peace prize for promoting the cause of reducing global warming. Funny how anything that comes from an individual who happens to be democratic is instantly attacked by the regressive elements of our society. Love that 1st Amendment. We truly are a house divided. Such a shame.
    Reply to this comment
    by hypnotoad72 October 13, 2007 12:13 PM EDT
    Revenge? Bollocks. If the Earth is in dramatic crisis, it wouldn''t be revenge on Al''s part at all.

    Indeed, I''m surprised that nobody asked "When you cancel your China flight to tell them to not pollute, will you fly or swim to get your award?"
    Reply to this comment
    by cbs_oliver October 12, 2007 11:47 PM EDT
    I need to wash after reading these things. The author projects corrupt interpretations on what he sees.

    Too bad.
    Reply to this comment
    by hypnotoad72 October 12, 2007 11:03 PM EDT
    shafteriffic - thank you MUCH for the Snopes reference.

    After www.badapple.biz and Gore''s questionable performance (a conflict of interest), the Snopes article speaks volumes.

    Maybe Mr. Gore shouldn''t donate the $1.5 mil and buy a proper house instead. He wants everybody else to be energy efficient, and some of us have been long before this fad became popular (and comparatively inexpensive).

    What part of "everybody" does he not understand?

    I''m sorry there are people who blindly like the fellow, and I won''t disagree Mr. Gore has brought up valid points, but until he does what he wants everyone else to do, he''s only saying in action there''s no problem.

    And, again, "Carbon credits" sounds a lot like "credit cards" if you ask me.
    Reply to this comment
    by middleman8 October 12, 2007 9:17 PM EDT
    MR. AL GORE IS TO OVER QUALIFIED TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE USA.
    THE OFFICE SEEMS TO BE CONTROLED BY STUPID, WARMONGERS.
    Reply to this comment
    by memekiller October 12, 2007 2:52 PM EDT
    I''m starting to worry that my house is too big. How much square footage am I allowed before I can believe the scientific consensus on anthropogenic warming?
    Reply to this comment
    by pennhr October 12, 2007 2:36 PM EDT
    I write without checking whether anyone else has made this correction. Al Gore did NOT win an acedemy award. He was the subject and narrator of the film for which the procducer won the award.
    Reply to this comment
    by memekiller October 12, 2007 2:09 PM EDT
    I love how elitist Republicans always get up in arms about the hypocrisy of Democrats to be successful but not self-serving.

    So, just as it''s hypocritical for a millionaire like Edwards to support policies that help non-millionaires (only politicians who bring in a third of their Congressional salaries can help average Americans!), Gore is a hypocrite for not living in an adobe hut.

    If that''s true, then I guess you''re a hypocrite if you take oxygen out of the air when you breathe. How can you support water conservation and consume liquids? How do you live with yourself?

    I can''t support cleaner fuels and fly an airplane? Look, it''s the fact that these things are NECESSITIES that we all use that makes it so important to address the problem.

    How can you vote for Bush if you didn''t campaign for him?

    How can you support the war if you didn''t enlist in the military?
    Reply to this comment
    by shafteriffic October 12, 2007 1:56 PM EDT
    Al Gore is a 2 faced LIAR! He cares less about the environment than me(and that''s not saying much for him). Drill for OIL in ALASKA and the OCEAN! GASOLINE engines RULE!!! Long live man''s greatest invention - the internal combustion engine!
    Reply to this comment
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