Opinion: Donna, say it isn’t so

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A minor setback for those Americans patiently awaiting Al Gore’s inevitable announcement of his candidacy for president.

According to a published report in the Boston Herald, one of his daughters, Kristin, recently said, ‘He’s really not going to get in the race.’ C’mon, who’s going to believe a daughter over newspaper speculation?

Then comes a Washington Times commentary by Donna Brazile, who managed Gore’s 2000 campaign. She says, ‘Common sense should tell us he is not gearing up for another presidential run.’ What does she know? She lost in 2000.

And anyway, whoever heard of common sense in a presidential race that features 17 candidates so far, including Mike Gravel and Ron Paul? You know, Al himself has not totally ruled it out. He’s told Larry King he’s fallen out of love with politics. But love is a fickle thing. He’s said he has no intention of running. Aha, but he hasn’t said absolutely not.

After learning how much he’s making for 75-minute speeches on the environment, we can understand why Gore is delaying his announcement. He’s making a fortune from talking about hot air.

And there was that recent flap about Gore the environmentalist eating endangered Chilean sea bass...

... at a daughter’s wedding rehearsal dinner. That turned out to be false. So he can still run.

Even Brazile admits, ‘Being president of the United States is the ultimate bully pulpit for someone with intense passion for a cause bigger than life itself.’ Is that not Al?

Can he possibly turn down the Draft Gore movement, which has collected more than 100,000 signatures?

His candidacy even came up during last night’s Democratic debate, but CNN host Anderson Cooper refused to talk about it. What does that tell you about the larger CNN/Democratic Party conspiracy to keep Gore out of the race?

Even Brazile admits, ‘Many Americans still hunger for the odd combination of an experienced old hand who makes them feel safe together with the boldness to tackle our complex challenges. Many believe, as I surely do, that Mr. Gore is that person.’

Well, there you have it. We’re still waiting.

-- Andrew Malcolm