Rolling Stone, more than any other publication, seems hell-bent on making Al Gore the next Democratic candidate for the presidency.  You hear a lot about Obama, of course as much as you can stomach about Hillary ~ heck, once in a while, you even hear about John Edwards or Tom Vilsak ~ but nowhere except Rolling Stone do you get this much about Al Gore as the next president:

Rolling Stone : Why Gore Should Run — And How He Can Win

A stiff Vice President campaigns on his administration’s legacy of unprecedented prosperity. Looks terrible on TV. Bows out, following a disputed vote count. Then, two terms later, with no incumbent in the race, he re-enters the fray. Promises to change the course of a disastrous war founded on lies. And charges to victory. I’m referring, of course, to the 1968 campaign of Richard Milhous Nixon. But four decades later, history has a chance to repeat itself for Albert Arnold Gore.

They don’t stop waxing poetic there, either.  And when I say “poetic,” I mean the type of lyrical statistics the stuff of which makes NFL highlight reels possible:

Rolling Stone : Why Gore Should Run — Page 3

If Gore does decide to run, there is no question that his entry into the race would instantly reshuffle the deck. . . He would also have history on his side: Andrew Jackson and Grover Cleveland, both of whom won the popular vote but lost the presidency, reached the White House on their next tries.

Can’t you just see Al Gore, football tucked neatly at his side, chin-strap slack bobbing on the side of his helmet in super-slow motion, muscles flexing and relaxing in rhythm, arms pumping, moving down the sideline with seeming unstoppable power towards the goal line?  Oh, wait.  That’s Lynn Swan I’m seeing. . . .

Anywho. . .

All this lyricism seems to suggest a burning desire among liberals and Democrats to lance the boil of “Triangulation” and over-cautiousness that has been an aching sore in the back-sides of so many of us for so long.  Check out the interesting commenting conversation (and I say that not because I took part) over at RochesterTurning.com about Hillary.  We all love Exile, but he’s dying to make a point that has anything to do with anything other than Hillary’s prevarication and hedging.  Rottenchester is having none of it.  Great back and forth here.

But there always seems to be, in any discussion of Al Gore, a burning need for release in the words of those urging him to run.  If he did run, I’d certainly be happy, but there seems to be an over-wrought sense of deliverance in his supposed candidacy.  A romantic vision of salvation to which no one will ever live up.

I’m once again drawn to an image: citizens of Jerusalem chasing a man named Brian around, worshiping his shoe.

Rolling Stone : Why Gore Should Run — Page 1

Look at what Gore has been up to lately, and it’s hard to escape the impression that, on some level, he is already running for president. Over the past few months he has made high-profile appearances on the Today show, the Tonight Show and Oprah, and he displayed his trademark deadpan humor in a stint on Saturday Night Live. “He’s keeping himself viable by keeping himself in the public eye,” says Donna Brazile, who served as Gore’s campaign manager in 2000.

OK, the man’s said flat-out “no” on any number of occasions, but it *seems* like he’s running for president.  Uh-huh.  Read the above text as though you’re John Cleese narrating a Monty Python bit.  It’s impossible to escape the impression that, on some level, this is absurd.

Good evening. Last week we learned how to saw a lady in half. This week we’re going to learn how to saw a lady into three bits and dispose of the body…

I’m all for Al Gore running.  I’m all for anyone who can broaden the dialogue and offer new conversations about all the many things our country needs to deal with which are not being addressed by this current administration.  But really, people: keep it in perspective.

Technorati Tags: Al Gore, Democrats, President, 2008

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