Gored by Gore?

Al Gore received generally positive reviews for his performance at the Academy Awards. He looked loose, was actually funny, and seemed comfortable in his own skin. It is clear that he has earned the respect and adoration of a huge segment of the Democratic base. No longer is he the wooden Sore-Loserman candidate from 2000 that blew a slam dunk election. Gore is actually seen as "cool" now, especially among younger people who supported Howard Dean in droves. And with such a large audience watching, there were undoubtedly a few people watching who were wondering about what could have been. Listening to Gore talk wonkishly about the evaporation of seawater and reducing our carbon footprints seemed like such a pleasant contrast from Bush's smirking, lack of curiosity, and overly simplistic responses to serious questions.

For the Democratic presidential candidates, Al Gore is their worst nightmare. Gore would immediately render Edwards irrelevant because Gore ran as a populist in the 2000 campaign, which is how Edwards has positioned himself now. Gore would render Biden and Dodd irrelevant because his resume is just as extensive and isn't concentrated in just the Senate. Even Kucinich would have to think twice about continuing his candidacy because Gore has been against Iraq all along.

Gore's main rivals would be Obama and Hillary. Gore provides a bit of nostalgia for the Clinton years without all of the baggage (Monica, Whitewater, etc.), which allows him to parry Hillary. He also provides the sense of hope that Obama offers simply because Gore has been acquitted by history and people seem much more receptive to and appreciative of his intellect after the widely unpopular Bush presidency. Because his resume is far more extensive than Obama's, Obama would be all but forced to step aside.

It's an open secret that Hillary and Gore are not the best of friends. This is likely because they were both competing for influence during the early stages of the Clinton Presidency. Gore has the ability to tap into a massive fundraising network and he has immense personal wealth that allows him the flexibility to wait several more months before formally entering the race.

He has an advantage on the issues as well. He is unencumbered by Iraq because he was against it from the very beginning and accurately predicted what would happen once the war was prosecuted. Meanwhile, Hillary is taking a lot of heat from the left over her refusal to apologize for her vote. Additionally, his passion for the environment is obviously genuine, so there's no way he can be co-opted on that issue by her as well. He can also neutralize Hillary's experience because he's been in government longer AND served in the Oval Office with Bill Clinton, just like Hillary.

More than any other candidate, Gore is the single greatest threat to Hillary, and she knows it.

This leaves one candidate who will benefit from the clearing of the field: Bill Richardson. His experience is comparable Gore's, he is not nearly as polarizing as Hillary, and he has the novelty factor working for him like Obama. If Gore and Hillary go at each other's throats, voters may ultimately decide to permanently close that chapter on that political era, thus allowing Richardson to sneak through to the nomination.

If that doesn't happen and Gore wins the nomination, look for Richardson or Obama to be tapped as the vice presidential nominee. A Gore-Richardson ticket would absolutely steamroll the GOP opposition.

But first, Gore has to enter the race. He has positioned himself perfectly by maintaining his public profile, writing books, and drawing attention to his popular documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth." While the other candidates tear each other down, Gore can stay above the fray and enter the race this fall looking like an elder statesman. He can afford to stay coy for now by saying he "has no plans" to run, but the calls will eventually become too loud for him to ignore. Filing deadlines regarding delegate selection will also become a factor later this year, so he will have to make a firm decision about this one way or the other. But for now, look for Gore to continue to travel across the nation and promote his documentary and rehabilitate his public image. It serves the dual purpose of allowing him to talk about his passion (the environment) while reducing the length of a possible campaign for him. The longer the campaign is, the worse Gore will perform. So right now he is playing his hand perfectly.

Here are a few articles about the Academy Awards, speculation on a Gore campaign, and assessing his chances:

Newsday
USA Today
The New Yorker
Washington Post