Gore Endorsement -- Potent but Not Foolproof

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Former vice president Al Gore's pronouncement that he is likely to endorse one of the Democratic candidates for president before the primary season is over has set off a slew of speculation about who his choice might be.

Truth is, the courting of the "Goreacle" began many months ago. Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Gore huddled in Nashville in December, and Gore has also met with former senator John Edwards (N.C.). Gore and Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.) conferred as recently as last week.

Not surprisingly, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) has not met with Gore. Neither has Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.) nor New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

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It seems safe to predict that Gore will not be endorsing the bid of the senator from New York. A more open question might be whether he would throw his support to Obama -- the only candidate in the top-tier who, like Gore, opposed the war in Iraq from the start -- or another surging contender at a critical moment to try to derail Hillary Clinton's quest for the nomination.

The other candidates would do almost anything for Gore's support. Dodd's campaign was quick to note that Gore likes Dodd's proposal for a corporate carbon tax and that the senator called the former veep last week to thank him for supporting the idea. Asked about Gore, Edwards spokesman Eric Schultz gushed: "Senator Edwards has the deepest respect and admiration for Vice President Gore. He is a true leader whose prescient work in raising the issue of global warming has literally mobilized millions of Americans and the world to act."


By Chris Cillizza And Shailagh Murray
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/08/AR2007090801458.html