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Will Al Gore Run in 2008? Everywhere he goes, the winner of the 2000 popular vote is asked: "Would you consider running for President in 2008?" His answer is that he has no intention or plans to seek office. But he hasn't decided not to run, either. We're convinced that Gore can be persuaded to run. The purpose of this website is to encourage him to do so, while helping build a grassroots movement that will put him into the White House.

After the Vice President's appearance last year on ABC's This Week, the show's political correspondents were unanimous in their opinion that Gore is considering a run in 2008:

After taping the above, George Will expanded his argument in a Washington Post op-ed: "Warming to a Candidacy?"

Nevertheless, the likelihood that Gore will seek the presidency is suggested not only by the logic of what he says but also by what he does not say. Given how clear and present he says the danger [of global warming] is, he should be more specific and radical regarding the economic, indeed civilizational, changes he considers necessary. He should be -- unless he is trimming his sails and biding his time in the hope that he can acquire the presidential pulpit from which to move the nation.

There is nothing wrong with that. The nobility of politics, when it is noble, often consists in prudent maneuvering and persuading until an issue is, in terms of public opinion, ripe. A luminous example of the nobility of indirection is Lincoln's protracted and incremental progress toward abolishing slavery. Dismayed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act and then the Dred Scott decision, Lincoln did not exclaim: "That does it! Instead of running for president, I am going to prepare a PowerPoint presentation."

Will's argument is strong, but he misses the main reason so many people want Gore to run. Millions of Democratic activists are exasperated that their party didn't live up to it's role as the loyal opposition-- watching in dismay as the Bush administration met little resistance from the legislature on issue after issue.

What the Democrats need is a candidate who has always stood unequivocally against the invasion of Iraq, and who has never hesitated to speak out against the Bush administration's power grabs, from the Patriot Act through the NSA wiretapping scandal. We need a nationally recognized figure with strong national security and foreign policy credentials, with the moral authority to capture the imagination of "values voters" on the left, right, and center.

No one fits this description, with one exception.... Al Gore stands alone as the conscience of the Democratic Party.

So why doesn't Gore show more interest in 2008? Partly because he's too busy (saving the planet while Bush is in office isn't exactly a part time job), and partly because he's one of the few potential candidates who can wait to decide. David Moorehouse, Gore's 2000 Senior Counselor asserts, "Gore can wait longer than other candidates, because he can raise money on the Internet.... Should he decide to run, he can raise $15 million in two days."

Finally, it wouldn't be smart for Gore to signal an interest in 2008 too soon. Donna Brazile, his campaign manager in 2000, believes that the best way for Gore to win in 2008 is to continue his work off the campaign trail for as long as possible. In an article for Roll Call entitled "The Best Thing Al Gore Can Do Is Not Run — for Now," she observes: "Throughout our history, Americans have been known to fall deeply in love with non-candidates for president."

In the end, the question will be decided by Al Gore's sense of duty. He knows that his party, and more importantly, his country, need him. He will answer the call to serve, as he always has.

Until then, each of us must stand up and be counted. Use this site to connect with other dedicated Americans to bring about a Gore presidency. Read more about who we are. Learn more about how to use this site. Join us today at AlGore.org to build the grassroots movement that will make Al Gore President in 2008. The party you save may be your own.