IF THERE is a big story to the nascent 2008 presidential campaign, it is the battle between senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Barack Obama (D-IL) to lock up big donors and establish front runner status in the Democratic field. But the past few months have witnessed the emergence of another Democratic leader who could potentially pose a threat to both of them. I'm talking, of course, about Al Gore, that other heir to the Clinton legacy who was given up for dead after the disheartening election of 2000 left George W. Bush in the White House and Republicans in charge on Capitol Hill.
The 45th Vice President of the United States has become a bit of a rock star lately, taking home an Oscar for his improbably successful documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," and packing lecture halls worldwide for his talks on global warming. And while the award can perhaps be seen as an attempt by the liberal elite to rehabilitate a fallen leader, rewriting history in the only way they know how, the truth is that Gore's return to prominence over the past several months owes more to his own leadership on environmental issues than to any bitterness leftover from the 2000 election.
For those who haven't seen it, "An Inconvenient Truth" is classic Gore, consisting of a drab lecture on the science of global warming interspersed with confessional bits of personal history that, like all of his attempts to reach out to an audience, seem awkward and out of place. The facts are compelling, yet one can't help but think that a charismatic leader like Bill Clinton might have made the same case in five minutes, bringing his entire audience on board for a grand crusade against global carbon emissions.
But more significant than the contents or quality of the movie is the fact that Gore still cares enough about global warming to make a movie about it. Politicians often maintain some public presence after leaving office, serving on boards and commissions and appearing at charity events before retreating into the obscurity of old age. But few make such a vocation of public activism as Gore has. Rather than withdraw into resentment or self pity after the debacle of the Florida recount, Private Citizen Gore simply took up the cause that occupied most of his public life, stumping worldwide to raise awareness of a critical problem of global dimensions.
Whether or not one accepts the scientific consensus that global warming is caused by human activity, it is hard not be struck by the quiet diligence with which Gore has approached his task. Before he was filling seats and hobnobbing with celebrities, Gore was traveling far and wide, often by himself, delivering his global warming lecture to hundreds of audiences simply because he thought it was important. And while Gore has probably made good money on the success of the movie, he has devoted himself to his cause largely free of charge.
All this raises the interesting question whether Gore might make another run at the White House in 2008. I voted for him in 2000, but I could not have supported a Gore candidacy in 2004 because, quite frankly, he still seemed like a loser at that point. But after seven years in the political wilderness, Gore has emerged not as the technocratic policy wonk of the Clinton years, but as a thoughtful, public minded person who isn't too proud to do the dirty work of speaking up for an important cause. Seven years ago, it was possible to view Gore as a bland, uninspired leader running for president simply because the Oval Office was the next rung on the political ladder. In view of his ongoing leadership on the matter of global warming, it seems more likely that Gore was in the race for the much better reason of wanting to have an influence on policy questions he cared about.
Can he win? Maybe not. If the movie is any indication, Gore remains incapable of projecting the personal warmth and accessibility that Americans expect from a president. And in any case, it may be time for a fresh face at the top of the Democratic totem pole. But a Gore candidacy would at least add some intellectual vigor to the campaign, forcing the leading candidates to move beyond party platitudes and engage in the kind of substantive discussion of issues that Gore has always been comfortable with. It would, furthermore, mark the return of an underappreciated leader whose sober, serious approach to government is certainly better suited to high office than the glad-handing pseudo-populism of our current president. I don't know if Gore has the stuff to be president, but I'm willing to take another look.
Alec Solotorovsky's column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at asolotorovsky@cavalierdaily.com.
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