Jessica
Vozel
Read Jessica's bio and previous columns here
October 15, 2007
I Changed My Mind: Al
Gore Should Save the Earth, Not Run for President
In May, I wrote a piece declaring Al Gore the only viable choice for the
presidency in 2008. His intellect, heart and experience, I wrote, made
him the ideal candidate to rescue America from its dismal, Bush-led
condition. In the intervening months, I have faithfully monitored Al
Gore news, hungering for tidbits pointing to a possible run. Another
interview where he won’t completely rule out a run! He’s running
on the treadmill again, that has to mean something, right? After
this weekend, I have changed my mind.
It was a significant few days in the fight to draw Gore back into the
political arena he says he no longer loves. On October 10, the
grassroots site DraftGore.com collected enough donations to take out a
full-page ad in The New York Times reminding Gore that in his
2000 concession speech, he said he would not forget the Americans who
felt their voices were silenced. Then, on October 12, along with the
United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Al Gore won
the Nobel Peace Prize. Gore supporters had hoped the statement following
his win would mark the moment he would finally announce his intention to
run, but he instead reiterated the importance of fighting global
warming.
His choice to do so is an apt metaphor for why he shouldn’t run. He has
dedicated himself to a cause, has received worldwide accolades for his
efforts, and has jostled his way from being a downtrodden, picked-apart
politician who watched his plans for America slip through his fingers to
becoming America’s hero – a man who could have been everything Bush
wasn’t, a man who leads the fight to save not just the U.S., but the
entire planet.
The divergent paths of our current president and our almost president
are now at the pinnacle of separation. Bush continues to lose approval.
The war trudges on. His reign is coming to an end. Al Gore, however,
was just awarded a prize that George W. Bush probably feels he deserves
but will never receive. According to the DraftGore ad, 136,000 Americans
have signed their petition imploring Gore to run. No one – save a few
Republican commentators – talks about the color of his shirts, the
monotony of his voice or his lack of beer buddy potential anymore.
If Al Gore were to become president, he would no longer have the glow of
a man who would have been a better president than George W. Bush. He
will no longer be a bastion of what could have been had a thousand more
Americans swayed in his favor. The media will certainly find new ways to
criticize insubstantial parts of his character.
Eventually, Al Gore’s presidential position would undermine his climate
change fight by imbedding politics deeper into a debate that should have
never been political in the first place. Global warming skeptics who
are also Republicans, and I assume there are many, would have new
motivation to discredit climate change.
Also, if elected president, Gore may have the power to make real changes
to our country’s environmental policy. But he would lack the time needed
to do so. Cleaning up the mess his predecessor left behind would be no
easy task. For the next four-to-eight years of his life he would be
unable to devote himself to fighting climate change. Another figure
outside of politics would have to assume Al Gore’s position as the
leader of the global warming fight, and likely no one else could fill
his shoes.
I’m confident that Al Gore could undo the damage left behind by
Hurricane George and bring forth a better America, but what about the
rest of the world?
At first, I thought it was selfish of Gore to eschew a presidential bid
in favor of devoting himself to climate change. I asked, doesn’t he
understand how badly we need him? He could be America’s ultimate
comeback story! I didn’t realize at the time, however, that he already
is.
It is time I stop being selfish. Al Gore could have saved our
country, and if he decides to take on that task after all, I will not
hesitate to vote for him. But for now, I’ve decided to let him save the
world instead.
© 2007
North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.
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