Posted on 03/28/2007 5:24:56 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton faces a possible new threat to her presidential ambitions.
Former Vice President Al Gore has again been entertaining offers to run for president. Gore has been discussing a run for a third party nomination with family and close aides.
"Al Gore has been energized by the attention he's been receiving as America's leading environmentalist," a political source close to Gore said. "He believes this might present an opportunity to become president or at least try again."
Sources close to Gore said Ralph Nader has sought to recruit the former vice president to run as the candidate for the Green Party. They said Gore has not rejected the offer and was consulting with family and friends to determine the feasibility of such a candidacy.
At this point, Gore stands behind Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama in any race for the Democratic presidential nomination. But the polls report that many Democrats who support Clinton could switch their support to Gore.
Still, Gore, largely estranged from former President Bill Clinton since 2000, is said to have concluded that he stands no chance of beating Hillary for the Democratic presidential nomination. But sources close to Gore said the former vice president believes that he could present himself as a genuine liberal in any general election that would include Clinton.
For her part, Clinton has been monitoring Gore's feelers regarding a presidential race. The sources said Clinton has expressed concern that a third party effort by Gore could hurt her chances in the general election.
"Gore is invulnerable on several issues," a political strategist familiar with Gore's consultations said. "Unlike Obama, he can't be attacked as inexperienced; he has much more experience than Hillary. And, he was Bill's vice president."
Nader, a harsh critic of then-President Bill Clinton, was for a time the leader of the Green Party. Nader has used the movement for previous races for the presidency. Nader's campaign was believed to have spoiled Gore's efforts for the presidency in the 2000 election, particularly in the state of Florida where George W. Bush won by only 537 votes. In 1996 and 2000, Nader was the presidential nominee of the Green Party.
Over the last month, Gore's profile has skyrocketed in the wake of his Academy Award for his documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," which examines global warming. On March 21, Gore testified to two congressional panels that global climate change marked the greatest danger in U.S. history and issued a 10-point plan that included an immediate freeze on new emissions from cars and power plants.
"This is not a normal time," Gore said in his first appearance on Capitol Hill since 2001. "We are facing a planetary emergency. I'm fully aware that that phrase sounds shrill to many people's ears. But it is accurate."
Although a handful of Republicans criticized and questioned his research and the factual basis for many of his claims, many Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee viewed Gore's appearance as a homecoming. The Democrats, with Sen. Hillary Clinton sitting on the committee, said Gore was leading a nationwide movement that sought drastic changes in the environment.
"You have acted for us," said Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Sen. Barbara Boxer, California Democrat. "You have acted more than anyone else."
The sources said Gore, who also serves as an adviser to Google, would quietly test the waters in a series of polls in the spring of 2007. They said his high profile will probably be maintained over the next few months when he publicizes his latest book, "The Assault on Reason" in May. The book is said to be an indictment of American politics.
Great news for a conservative GOP nominee. Now let's do it! Duncan Hunter 2008!
LOL, scary, isn't it? And it's not like he'll be following the advice to walk or take the stairs or bicycle that he give us.
Hollywood won't be following or supporting Algore, they'll be sucked into orbit around him!
You got it!
BTW - did you get that email I sent you?
Heard the interview. Insight guy did most of the original talking. Nice of Savage to let his good guests have so much of the floor, unlike most egotistical talk show hosts.
After I got home, I was surprised that the Insight article had not been posted.
I was particularly interested the Gore ego trip vis-a-vis the "Prophet" thing, the evangelical attribution, the world renown from the Oscar, and the hate Clintons carryover.
All that the Insight guy said was, of course, unattributed.
yitbos
2012 lbs?
I really hope he does this, so many liberals will side with him taking away the vote from the Dems. This could be a saving grace for the GOP
We can certainly use some comic relief around here. :)
Oh, I agree! PLEASE RUN, AL!!! PLEASE!! No, wait, have to use reverse psychology... Don't do it, Al! What, are you stupid? Don't do it! Keep making movies...after all, you got an Oscar (wink, wink).
Hope it happens!!
The "ALGORENADER"!
Good .... and go get Ralph Nader to run as VP as your running mate......
Hey AL make my day! Run tubby run. The greenies NEED YOU NOW!
Just think, if McCain decided to run as Independent, we'd see fireworks from all sides.
Such a campaign would be worth a small campaign donation, IMO. I'd get loads of fun from all the Democrat mail that ensues.
Ping me immediately as soon as Al sets up his exploratory committee. This campaign would be a win-win situation for me. My union member relatives will stop ragging on me if I tell them I'm voting for a non-Republican, hehehe.
Give Kermit the Frog a hug from me, okay?
If Gore decides to run he'll be lucky to make it to November.
No Al, you stupid ass!! Stay in the RAT party!
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