The Salvation of Al Gore
Once more it is election season, and political spirits are awoken. With them come ghosts of campaigns passed. As George W. Bush rides his last year of office, it is easy to think and question what might have been. The 2000 election was an exciting and close contest. Even today there is discussion over the legitimacy of the final result.
I shall dispense with Bush quickly, as he is not today’s subject. His two terms have taken a greater toll than expected by most everyone. The United States was attacked, we are at war, Environmental policy is weakening, the dollar is doing poorly, and our international image is suffering. Noted issues merely scratch the surface of our present political situation.
So, what might have been? It has been a common understanding that these last seven years could have been better. Much better. I will qualify by noting that this is a common understanding within my circles, and my circles do not involve NRA meetings or megachurches. These years could have been better under the leadership of Al Gore.
The nation and Al had a chance to align in the year 2000. They did not. The nation and the world are now worse off for not realizing this merger. Certain issues will be matters of opinion, but the disapproval ratings of our current administration can attest great lengths that Al Gore could have been a better option.
The aftermath of the 2000 election has bred a loser, and it is not Al Gore. The end of his political career breathed new life into Al. What was stale, starched, and stagnant is now a conscious pulse. Since the millennium Al Gore has reinvented himself. He has given his energy a direct focus, to an end that he has been quite productive and effective. His two books, a movie showcasing his efforts, and a Nobel Peace Prize have shown that he not only relevant but also hip. Such exploits stand tall in a field that is known for fading away, as ex-politicians are not big in the public eye.
The 2000 election was a victory for himself, because that is who Al got to spend some much needed time with. He is a better man now for having lost then. Websites have popped up to draft Al Gore to run in the 2008 election. For whatever reason he has opted not to fuse his new found popularity with politics. Not political office anyway. The man has found himself, and we are lost.