A few weeks ago I spent a morning handing out flyers for the Kerrytown BookFest at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market. I stood alongside the usual political demonstrators, with their pins and t-shirts, among them a group with a rather unconventional premise: convince former vice president Al Gore to run for president in 2008. The group’s affable volunteers persevered despite mixed responses from the market-goers; some pushed past their table, eager to reach the caffeine and pastries at Sweetwaters. Others scrunched up their faces and made rude remarks. A decent number of shoppers, however, seemed pleased to see the group, and many of them signed their petition.

So, this afternoon while perusing the most-emailed articles on the New York Times, I was not at all surprised to see the group mentioned in an article detailing the national phenomenon of support for Gore sans Gore.

…what do you think? Should Al give it a go? Thoughts on candidacy without a candidate? Discuss!

I have to admit, it would be a nice break in the action of the current election doldrums. With still a year to go, it seems like the campaigns have been in full swing for at least nine months. And with the constant speculation surrounding presidential campaigns, I have to say, it might be nice to see a candidate skirt all of that for as long as he could and jump in the election. It worked for James K. Polk!

...good old James K. Polk!

; )

I imagine that James K. Polk would be insulted to be compared with such a showboating, self-loving politician. I have nothing against Democrats or Republicans usually, but "An Inconvenient Truth" was such an awful piece of bad-science and propaganda, it almost convinced me that Global Warming DOESN'T exist. Al Gore's only act of kindness to this country thus far has bee to stay out of the race thus far. The man is a politician, not a leader.

Well hey, it provides him some great cred to have a Nobel Peace Prize under his belt now, if he wanted to run. I don't think he'll run, though. Like Jimmy Carter, I think Gore realizes he can be more effective if he focuses his efforts on something he can strongly influence.

Okay, hold on. I'd like to think Polk is realistic and holds no illusions about being a "good guy" in American History. He was president at a time when the title was not even close "Most Powerful Man In The World," he was a one-termer, and his biggest legacy was probably engaging in an unpopular war fueled by the desire to acquire resources and land. Thoreau went to jail for refusing to pay his taxes during the war, documented in the fine play, The Night Thoreau Spent In Jail.