Re-elect Al Gore?

It’s an inconvenient truth that Al Gore looked a lot like Boss Hogg as he basked in the praise of Hollywood celebrities at the recent Oscars show. But as the cameras panned the beaming money crowd that funds Democratic presidential campaigns you could almost hear the ca-ching, ca-ching of cash ready to flow to porky Al when he gives the word. Donna Brazile, his former campaign manager, described it as “one of those rare moments, similar to the civil rights movement, when you could experience the ground shifting.”

The Democrats already have an abundance of talent running for president in `08, but early polls keep shifting and there is no clear front-runner. When that happens, party leaders and political pundits begin their ‘what ifs’ such as `what if Al Gore got in the race?’

(The Republican Party has a different problem: their conservative base can’t stand any of the GOP’s top three candidates for president. Their derisive “flip-flopper” chant was aimed last time at John Kerry but now targets McCain-Guiliani-Romney for their furious back-peddling on social issues so dear to them).

The election season never began this early before and already most are sick of it. It’s a lose-lose situation for those who have thrown their hats in the ring: As announced candidates their every utterance is parsed by pundits for errors or contradictions. Pundits like nothing better than to bring down the frontrunner so they then can pummel the one that moves ahead.

Gore is in the envious position of watching from the sidelines, mostly out of the line of fire of those in the media urging Hillary and Obama to attack each other. Voters are mostly bored. Anyone in the business knows that voters rarely pay much attention to candidates and their campaigns until after Labor Day prior to the election—which is 18 months away. Compounding the discontent this year are state parties moving up the dates for holding their primaries, just another aggravation like TV-reruns and Daylight Savings Time starting earlier each year.

In 2000, Gore was a shoo-in for the Democratic presidential nomination. When he gave Tipper that big smackeroo at the DNC convention, it reminded everyone that while he shared credit with Bill Clinton for giving the American economy its eight best years, he did it without Monica Lewinsky

Gore has a lot going for him. In ’00, despite a dreadful campaign, he won the popular vote for president. If he wants to try again, Donna Brazile says she would work for him again. “He could come in at the end of the day as a candidate who can truly unite his party as well as his country,” said Brazile. “He can help repair our country’s image abroad. He’s someone who an go toe-to-toe with world leaders and doesn’t need a crash course in diplomacy.
There’s an even bigger factor in his favor: After what happened to Al in 2000, everyone owes him.

The enormity of the disaster wrought on the country by the frat boy who took the Oval Office in his place makes America’s guilt trip over Al Gore and what shoulda-been all the more compelling.

Ralph Nader owes him (and us), big time.

The Supreme Court owes him.

Katharine Harris and the State of Florida owe him.

The media owe him.

His home state of Tennessee owes him.

In coming weeks, while campaigns staffs for Hillary and Barack seek more photo opts like Selma, porky Al can stay home and do a few minutes on the Stairmaster while waiting for the phone to ring with media events to die for. For example: Later this month he will be featured at global-warming hearings in both the House and Senate, and in July he will be among the luminaries heading a 24-hour “Save Our Selves” concert marathon across seven continents. Ringggg, ringgggg.

Through it all, subliminally, will be the message: we owe him. And for Republicans, that’s the inconvenient truth.