What Will Al Gore Do Now?

In the aftermath of winning the Nobel Peace Prize, speculation increases that Al Gore will make a belated entry into the presidential sweepstakes. As a former president would say, Let me make one thing perfectly clear: Al Gore will NOT run for president. He’s too late, no money or organization. Plus, he only runs third to Clinton and Obama anyway.

But that doesn’t end the discussion because his ENDORSEMENT will still matter in the still-developing Democratic presidential contest. The conventional wisdom says that he will play it safe, endorse the front-runner Hillary Clinton, and be an important adviser to her administration when she is elected next year. The conventional wisdom would be wrong. If he thinks it through, Al Gore will do no such thing.

What exactly would he have to gain by endorsing Hillary?   A cabinet post? The vice presidency? Becoming part of her inner circle? An invitation to a state dinner? These are important for politicians on the rise, not an elder statesman who is now an international celebrity. There are already many rooms in the Clinton mansion and he would not be on the first floor. Plus, he’s already been there and has very little to show for it. He was left holding the bag when Bill was caught … well, you know. No, I don’t think Al Gore wants to return as a courtier in Clinton World.

Consider the alternative: He endorses someone else and that person WINS. Now you’re talking. He would be a major player in that administration and have substantial influence over some key policy areas, including his beloved environment. He could be a special envoy to trouble spots around the word and a major outside spokesman for the administration on a variety of international issues.

Or his candidate could lose. So what? As mentioned before, he now has international celebrity far beyond Washington policymaking. He would also preserve his status as Hillary’s chief leftist critic, something he would not be if he joined Hillary Inc. His mystique will actually increase, as the new Democratic administration is forced to grapple with prosecuting a war on terror that its base rejects and financing tens of billions of dollars in new spending with tax increases the public will not accept.

When it comes to his competition with the Clintons, maybe Al Gore will get the last laugh after all.