...and probably make me the target of more," Harrison, he's not running, just shut up already!"
So I know I said earlier that I've pretty much given up all hope that Gore will run. Note how I said "pretty much..."
Bill Clinton, not Hillary, said in June on whether or not he thought Al Gore would run for president:
"I don't know, he could. Someone's got to fizzle," he said. "If someone fizzles, then he could enter the race. He's got plenty of money, his own money, to do it."
Clinton agreed with what I've been trumpeting for months now: that Gore has enough personal wealth to be able to sit out and perch for a while before stepping in late in the game. He would also be able to raise a bunch of money overnight with considerable ease.
That was June. Four months later, is Clinton's statement beginning to materialize for you? Take a look at the latest ABC News/Wall Street Journal Poll. Hillary now has more than half of the Democrats. Mr. Obama is running in at second with 20%, plus he dropped 40% in fundraising since the last quarter.
Obama is "fizzling," and the time is ripe for Gore to throw his hat in. With Obama faltering quickly, Gore could step in right now and impress those anti-war Iowans with not only his anti-war record (sorry Hill-dog), but his extensive experience and enormous credentials (sorry Barack). Those Iowans would just eat him up.
Some people are even going so far as to say that if he does not enter the race, he will cost the Democrats the 2008 election. Too many Democrats dislike Hillary's record and there is no chance in hell that Republicans will vote for her. They'll back their nominee and enough Democrats will vote for a third-party guy to lose the election. I'm not saying that I agree with this completely, but the fact that Gore could actually be a spoiler by not running is scary.
The man has got to declare very soon, if not right now. If he comes in too late, too many people will consider him smug and arrogant. I declared in April that Gore would enter this October...now we'll find out.
The clock is ticking. Could we end up seeing Al Gore 2008 soon (That's right, say it!)?
In the end, it may still be a long shot, but I can dream, can't I?
