Al Gore Says 'No' Really Means 'No'

[Laura PourMeADrink]

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/whispers/articles/060116/16whisplead.htm

Al Gore Says 'No' Really Means 'No'
Despite topping some presidential preference polls and efforts by fans to get him to run again, former Veep Al Gore says he really doesn't want to. He's even got conservatives convinced. Grover Norquist, a strong Bush ally and president of Americans for Tax Reform, hosted Gore last week at a conservative meeting and tells us the 2000 presidential candidate "kept talking about himself as a recovering politician." Instead, he's channeling his passion into Issue No. 1: global warming. "This," says Norquist, "is what he says he's doing. He's not running for office."

[sweetm2475]

1. that's so depressing

i've heard a few times before that he said he won't run in '08. i'm still hoping, though. Thom Hartmann says we should draft him. i wish that was possible. i wasn't a huge gore fan in 2000. (still voted for him, but i lived in duval county florida, so it wasn't counted) but since then he has really grown a set and become my dream candidate. i really believe he's one of the VERY FEW people that really has what it takes to start cleaning up the complete FILTH that the Bush cabal will have left behind.:cry:

[MrSlayer]

2. Sad. He should be doing great things in his second term right now.

Instead we're stuck with this idiot Chimp and the country going down the toilet.

[FreedomAngel82]

21. So true

:cry:

[phantom power]

3. He was asking for it, with all those slutty earth tones.

[JNelson6563]

14. lol

Good one.

[Toots]

4. One of the real crimes of the Republicans

Keeping good honest people out of politics by their methods and insinuations. How more destructive to the American ideal can you get?

[mzmolly]

5. Bad news.

:(

[Apollo11]

6. Gotta be Gore in 2008!

Right now it is a statement of fact that Gore is "not running for office".

But what are Gore's long term ambitions, let's say from now thru January 2017?

Will he be happy spending the next 11 (count 'em) years being the greatest President America never had, taking his audiovisual presentation around the country, talking about the consequences of climate change and asking other people to take the necessary action?

Or would he jump at the chance to take on the greatest challenges in the world as President of the USA?

My hunch is, if we can get the voting process cleaned up in most of the swing states, and if Democrats can make positive progress in this year's elections, then we can help to create the right conditions that would allow Gore to come forward as a candidate for 2008.

The most important thing is not what Gore is saying right now. Why on earth would he let a bunch of right-wing nuts in on his future plans? My guess is that he is keeping his options open. There's nothing to prevent him from entering the race if it looks like enough folks want him to.

And this is the key to the whole situation. It will only happen if grassroots democrats really want it to happen. Gore is in a unique position. He cannot enter the primaries as just one among a whole bunch of candidates. He cannot afford to enter the primaries unless it looks like he will win the nomination. So if we really want it to happen then we have to make it happen.

In Gore We Trust
www.algore-08.com
http://algore2008.net/
:)

[Rose Siding]

7. I'd rather see the quote from Al than Norquist's spin

Maybe he did say something difinitive, but without Gore's quote, this doesn't seem based on anything but his previous remarks about disinclination.

[janx]

20. Yeah. A gossip column, "whispers," quoting Grover Norquist

on what Al Gore wants to do is...more than premature at this point.

We won't know anything for awhile about who will run for president. But we DO have to pay attention to what's happening *this year*, because that will make a big difference.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

8. After all those years...

In the Washington Political Bell Jar, what do you think that Al is feeling?

I suspect that he is feeling that he has been delivered from a partcularly cruel form of bondage.

The man has given the bulk of the first part of his life to public service. If his path has taken him, now, in a different direction, why don't we respect that and simply treasure the times that he does speak out, publicly, with his unique insight and burgeoning wisdom born of experience?

[FlaGranny]

11. Only because, I believe,

deep down we feel that he is "the One" who could beat the machine. After all, a person who is reluctant to become president would probably make the best president. He has no illusions/delusions of grandeur, no desire to be dictator, no desire for war for profit, and lots of concern about where the present policies are leading us. A man like that could put the presidency back where it belongs and regain respect for the presidency and for the US.

For all those reasons, I hope he can be convinced to make the sacrifice, and I have a feeling that for him it would be a real sacrifice.

Edit: In addition, he is the person I most want to vote for. I can't think of another person who could come close to him and have any chance, like he could.

[Peace Patriot]

9. Too bad! I was kind of attached to Gore/Kerry--the Poetic Justiice ticket.

Can't blame him, though. The US Presidency has become such a tattered prize. (I mean, who'd want to clean up Bush Jr.'s doo-doo?) (On the other hand, all you'd have to do is NOT spy, NOT torture, NOT slaughter innocent people, and NOT loot the poor, to end up looking like Thomas Jefferson and the Ptolemaic kings all wrapped up into one!

[Apollo11]

10. Don't fall into the GOP trap ...

Of course Republicans are talking down the possibility of Gore running again in 2008.

As Democrats, we should be talking it up !!! :)

Gore is keeping his cards close to his chest, keeping his options open. He doesn't have to decide either way this year. Better to wait until next year - see how things are looking.

Let's not wait for Al Gore to ask for our support.

Let's show him that we REALLY want him to run!

In Gore We Trust
www.algore-08.com
http://algore2008.net/
:)

[ktlyon]

17. It would only be fair to give Gore/Kerry 8 years

I would bet by the end of 8 years the world and our country would be in a really different place. Let the world see who was better Gore v Bush.

[mopinko]

12. why are norquist's word even POSTED here?

let alone accepted. jesus, people. have you no bullshit filters at all?

[Frank Cannon]

13. If Gore had taken his rightfully elected place as Pres in 2000...

this country would be so different today. Not only would 9/11 NOT have even happened in my opinion, but I believe our nation would still be inspiring and leading the world on many fronts--development of alternate energy sources, conduction of stem cell research and other medical advances, development of environmental protections, just to name a few. Plus we'd still have a budget surplus to invest in even NEWER frontiers. The USA would still be the "gold standard" of the globe.

But now look where we are: broke and loathed by the entire world. Thanks, monkey man.

[Clark2008]

15. I've been saying this for months, but there are some here

that simply don't believe me.

I've known Gore for years. I don't think he'd make that up.

[Apollo11]

16. Hmmm ...

Do you know for an absolute 100% fact that nothing could convince Al Gore to accept the Democratic nomination to run for President in 2008?

Or are you just trying to convince us that we should all start working for Wes Clark???

[Clark2008]

19. I think you need to look at my state flag.

I've voted for Al more times than you.

[FreedomAngel82]

23. I remember a good while back

there were tons of rumors going around and someone who was on the inside said Gore was thinking about it. :shrug: He should be president and I'd love that. It's understandable if he doesn't want to be involved in politics anymore. He might enjoy what he's doing now more though and spend more times with his family and friends which is understandable.

[janx]

25. I agree.

And the only way we'll ever know is if and when he decides to run again. He may elect not to do so, but I'm sure as heck not going to take Grover Norquist's word over Gore's. ;-)

[Uncle Joe]

18. A "recovering politician "

is never cured of his/her desire to lead, just as a recovering alcoholic is never cured of his/her desire to drink. All we have to do is brew a good enough bottle of political spirits for Al to take a swig.

With an unpopular war based on lies; which Al warned us against, the ongoing threat of global warming and more cities at risk of being drowned; which Al warned us against, Bush's abuse of power (something else which Al warned us about) by wiretapping American Citizens without getting warrants and outing our own CIA agents, the buying off and subjugation of our so called "fourth estate", the complete incompetence of Bush's crony government, the culture of corruption, Delay, Frist, Abramoff, Enron etc. the exploding national debt while Bush continues to push for making tax cuts for the wealthiest permanent and the general disdain world opinion has for Bush's version of America make for some most excellent vintage years of political brew.

I believe we, with the neocons corrupt/incompetent help can create a bottle of politics that will be irresistible to Al.

[FreedomAngel82]

24. Politics is very addicting

I used to not really care about politics but now I'm so addicted to it. You can't recover without being involved somehow whether you were on his league of politics or just keeping up with what's going on etc. But if Al doesn't want to run again than it shouldn't be pushed. There are lots of good canidates out there for 2008 even though I'd love to be able to vote for Gore.

[Uncle Joe]

27. I am for pushing, pulling, dragging, and superglueing

his hand on the bible until he takes the oath of office. I agree there are other good candidates but no one with the stature, vision, integrity and courage of Al Gore. I believe desperate times call for desperate measures, at this critical juncture in our nation's history with our own democracy in peril, I see no one else on the horizon with the moral authority that it will take to rectify things. As for me, everyone is suspect except Al Gore.

[LittleClarkie]

22. I think that we are better of with this version of Gore

I love the passion of a Gore not running for office.

[HeeBGBz]

26. Bless his heart. I really can't blame him.

He won the presidency and got screwed out of it. Why put himself and his family through that evil bullshit again.

Even though he is my non-candidate of choice...