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Opinion: Fearless prediction of the day

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This is one to clip and save, a bold journalistic prognostication that will be worth remembering (especially if it proves correct).

Roger Simon of the Politico makes the easy call in the first sentence of his column today: ‘Al Gore is not going to run for president.’ In his second sentence, Simon lets loose with the provocative one: ‘He is going to endorse Hillary Clinton, instead.’

Simon goes on to quote an unnamed former Gore staffer who offered the rationale for a Gore embrace (figuratively speaking) of Clinton. But the flat-out prediction that Gore will actually do it comes from the columnist.

Gore had suggested last month that he would weigh in with a preferred choice in the Democratic presidential race. At the time, most speculated that his pick would come down to a contest between Barack Obama or John Edwards. After all, the relationship between former vice president and the former first lady supposedly ...

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was strained during Bill Clinton’s administration. And then there was that little manner of the Monica Lewinsky scandal that so clearly chagrined Gore (and shadowed his 2000 presidential campaign).

We remain skeptical that Gore will follow through with an endorsement, for much the same reason that Simon (and others) believe he will not run for president himself. Now that he’s obtained the stature of Nobel Peace Prize winner, why return to the muck of politics? But we will be duly impressed if Simon gets it right.

There was another political prediction made today that’s worth noting, though it’s more of the off-the-wall variety.

Ever-colorful Democratic consultant James Carville, at a panel discussion sponsored by CNN, tabbed Jeb Bush as the eventual 2008 Republican presidential nominee. We think Carville is indulging a fantasy (what Democrat wouldn’t want the Bush name back on the ballot, at this point?), but you can hear his reasoning here.

-- Don Frederick

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