Run, Al, Run!

[catscradle]

Al Gore has won the Nobel Peace Prize - there are those hoping he'll now jump into the presidential race.


Run, Al, Run
If Gore wins the Nobel Peace Prize, will he run for president?
By Christopher Hitchens

I admit, I'm one of them. I don't particularly love Gore, I think he's got a lot of weasle in him, myself. But there's not a single candidate running currently that I like more than him. When he ran in 2000 he was hushed by the Democratic party from talking about the climate change issue. It was too controversial for them to support, and it still is today. In the past seven years Gore's absense from politics has afforded him the luxury of talking about it and getting the word out about how desparate the situation is. You can't shut that up now - he did it already.

We need a President that will make science and global climate change the top priority. We need someone that will learn from past Presidents that knew during time of crisis we have to make sacrifices. During WWII policies were put into place, people we asked to ration food, metal, anything that would help the war effort. And today that's what we need to do as well - it needs to be public policy. Gore has already said this much - none of the other Democrat candidates have touched the subject.

If he runs, he'll have my vote.

Comments

[alighiera.livejournal.com]

How likely is it that he'll run? Media here seem convinced that it would be a step backwards for him.

[catscradle.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure. I think Hitchen's makes a good argument though, if he ran and won - and most think if he ran he would win right now - that he'd have the power to make the changes he's been touting. To not run would also be a tremendous step backwards for him. I think right now it's a toss up.

[alighiera.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, if he didn't run, he'd be a lot harder to attack in whatever issues he chooses to tackle. It's much harder to ridicule and criticise someone who shares an award with Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela.

Would there still be time for him to organize a campaign in time to beat Obama and Clinton in the primaries?

[wiebke.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'd vote for Jimmy Carter myself. I recently say him on BBC World News America and also on a video clip on AlterNet and WHOAH does he get my vote. So Gore and Carter would be a good team. In my DREAMS. With Ted Kennedy as the Karl Rove figure.

[wiebke.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's likely. Personally I think he's doing a lot better OUT of regular politics than he did when he was IN it. He's accomplishing more, really.