This quote seems pretty difficult to interpret otherwise:
"I have no intention to run for president," Gore said in an interview conducted in Los Angeles and broadcast Thursday by the BBC.
"I can't imagine in any circumstance to run for office again," said the former Democratic vice president under then-president Bill Clinton.
In the past, there have been bad reports that didn't actually quote Gore. There have also been many times where Gore made comments that, while making it clear he was not leaning towards running, did not shut the door entirely. However, this time it is an actual quote from Gore, and I really don't see how it can be interpreted to mean anything except that he isn't running. Keep in mind that I spent a lot of time in my life studying deconstruction and post-structuralist critical theory, so I am quite open to the possibility of alternative and indefinite meanings. But here, I don't see much. The best option I can see here is that in a circumstance Gore is unable imagine at this time, an overwhelming "draft" movement could make him feel compelled to run no matter his intentions. However, if I may be frank, that is just unbelievably thin for anyone still holding out hope.
If this is true, it will certainly break a lot of hearts in the progressive movement. I can hardly count the number of movement activists I know who are still banking on a late Gore entry, especially since the scenario for a successful late entry is plausible when it comes to Gore. From March to October, he could win an Oscar, go on a book tour, sponsor a series of concerts, win a Nobel Prize, and then announce. After that almost unbelievable wave of positive publicity, his huge netroots base and suddenly very deep pockets would provide him with all the resources he needs. That is a perfectly reasonable scenario to consider for Gore, with one catch: he actually has to be willing to run himself. I see no way to conclude that he is willing.
Despite all of the energy for Gore, despite all of the great things he has done, and despite how he was robbed of the presidency in 2000, in the end this statement only compounds a series of statements that have made pretty darn clear he does not intend to run in 2008 (or 2012, or 2016, etc.) How anyone could read this statement from Gore and still think there is any chance he will run in 2008 is beyond me. We are, after all, in the reality-based community here, right? If someone says he has "no intention of running," and that he "can't imagine any circumstance to run for office again," then what are people looking for him to say before they believe he won't run in 2008? At some point, I think, if you are going to like someone at least in part because he says great things, then you need to start believing him even when he says things you don't want to hear.
But maybe I am missing something. I certainly have been burned on this before. If you want to post your laments for Gore's potential candidacy, or if you think there are still some ways that Gore could actually run, please say so in the comments. As for me, I'm off to Friday evening Happy Hour...
