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Al Gore could declare himself a candidate for President tomorrow, and he'd have thousands of supporters and millions of dollars at his disposal. He'd have name recognition second to none. He'd have sympathy from undecideds and independents about the way things ended in 2000, and he'd give a chance to disillusioned Bush supporters to vote for him, to make themselves feel better with an electoral mea culpa. If he decided to run, he could very well emerge as the favorite on the first day of his campaign. Seemingly everything is in place for Gore 2008, except for the desire of the man to be president.

It's not a question of Gore fearing a repeat of the disappointment of 2000, because I believe that he could achieve victory with one move: convince Barack Obama to be his Vice Presidential candidate. There have been rumblings that Hillary should do this, but if Gore was able to convince Barack, it would win him both the nomination and the White House. With this pairing of two Democratic rockstars, money would certainly not be an issue, not with their e-campaigns. Visibility would also not be an issue, as they're both already mobbed wherever they go. And it would take care of the two main problems facing the Dems: the idea that Hillary's last name makes her unelectable, and that Obama's inexperience in foreign affairs does the same. It's not hard to imagine Gore, experienced and likeable, cruising to victory with Barack by his side. VP Obama would then become VP Gore 2.0, a highly-visible and involved second-in-command sponging up the foreign affairs experience, filling the biggest gap in his resume and making him the uber-candidate of 2016. A Gore/Obama ticket could land the Dems the White House for the next four terms, and Gore probably realizes this. He has the chance to be the Democras' savior and godfather. Still, he's undecided.

Why would he remain undecided with such a clear path to victory? Because realistically, the presidency may be a step down in power for him. He has comfortably morphed into a guru role on the world stage, able to point to his foresight on the global warming issue for credibility. He can do and say things that the president can't because he doesn't need the approval of Congress and doesn't have to pay attention to favorables or polls. He's got a new book out lambasting the mass media, television in particular. He's on the board of directors of Apple and an advisor for Google, undoubtedly to scratch that technology itch he's always had. Could

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