Whenever I read about Al Gore's latest shenanigans, I'm reminded of that scene in the movie "Scrooged" where Bill Murray unveils his trailer for the network's Christmas special. It's designed to scare people into watching it, ending with the tagline: "Your life just might depend on it!"

Gore gave a speech in the UK this weekend where he referred to global warming as the impending "planetary emergency". Declaring to the audience that he was devoting himself to thwarting this threat, Gore assured them that the world was facing "a danger that could bring the end of civilization".

This is why I desperately want Al Gore to run for President in 2008. He really, truly believes that flogging the phantom scare of global warming trumps fighting terrorism as the country's number one priority. And he believes it with all the fervor of a televangelist. The vast majority of voters understand that the enemy we are fighting is the real, tangible danger that could bring the end of civilization - our civilization. When he's up on stage all alone he looks and sounds to the Left like a sage of our time. But standing next to a candidate who is serious about fighting the GWOT, he's a joke.

Will Al run? He certainly seems to be laying the groundwork. Rich Lowry at NRO Online's The Corner puts it this way:

"He is one of those people who wants to be president, but doesn't really want to run for it. So he wants the party to come to him. In keeping with this desire, the movie is a painless way to advance his political ambitions: if the buzz around it doesn't increase his standing in the polls, he can say, “Hey, what's the big deal, it was only a movie about an issue I care about, and never had a political purpose”; if, however, it does create some sustained political momentum, he can capitalize on it if he wants. Apparently he is telling the people closest to him what he is saying in public, that he isn't interested in running. People are all over the map, though, on whether he will ultimately run or not. The conventional wisdom seems to be correct: that he will only do it if he sees a clear path to victory."

Posted by: Gary at 10:00 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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