Why would Gore want to put his credibility on the line when there is no guarantee that his pick will be the winner? As for Gore '08, even if he picks Obama, things won't matter, since people are not going to change their minds over Gore choosing sides.

Finally, I DON'T THINK HE IS GOING TO ENDORSE. He knows that his life is better without taking sides.

"...as such a move could limit the former First Lady's ability to claim the greatest stake in ownership over the successes of the Clinton-Gore administration of any of the candidates currently running."

Whatever.  You frontpagers continue to get more and more outrageous. When has Hillary claimed "the greatest stake in the ownership over the successes of Clinton-Gore"?  Give me a break. I don't know who is worse you or Todd Beeton.

the fallout will be enourmous. For Gore not to stay atleast nuetral here will be a stunning rebuke of Hillary. Bullshit aside it will prove that he does not think highly of what happened in the late 90's. If Gore disses Hillary like that alot of less informed Dems will wonder why! It would be a seminal moment in the campaign.

If I'm going to take a bet, it's not going to be Obama, it's certainly not going to be Hillary.

I believe it's going to be Edwards or a second-tier candidate, most likely Chris Dodd.

I don't believe Al Gore is particularly keen on Obama phenomenon, on the contrary, he has expressed repeatedly he particularly loathes modern politics which places style over substance.
For this reason alone, I predict it won't be Obama.

For obvious reason, he's not going to endorse Hillary.

He speaks highly of Chris Dodd on his anti-global warming proposal. If he does not care about picking a winner, it may be Chris Dodd.

The most reasonable guess is Edwards.

No matter whom he endorses, it won't matter much though in the end.

other than thinking Ben Smith sounds like a total ass and a confused one at that, I can't think of a single reason why Gore would endorse anyone before the primaries unless one of them goes a LOT farther with their ideas on global warming.

It will end the "experience" bullshit once and for all. Plus it wwould be a signal for democrats that a new generation of leadership is needed, most of Hillary's support is based on familiarity and nostalgia this would be a brutal personal slight for Gore to comeout againt her and it would sting.

I think he'll endorse Obama from what i have heard , but he will only do so if Obama keeps it close in Iowa...Obama has been trending up in Iowa so this is good news.

Gore could really hurt the Clinton...A lot of democrats will wonder why he's not endorsing his's ex-boss's wife.

Did Gore campaign in Iowa for Dean?...A verbal endorsement is not as powerful as the endorser actually campaigning hard for you , on the ground side by side.

Are you sure they weren't confusing Grover Norquist for Gore in that interview? Good grief. What the hell happened to the "lock box".

He won't endorse the Clinton Show. It simply goes agains his evolution. Think about it.

If it were solely on climate change, I might guess Edwards or Richardson -- two candidates who have been marginally more agressive,
as well as more holistic, in their approach to climate change, including an inclination to link energy policy to foreign policy. Much as Gore
likes Dodd's carbon tax, I'm not convinced that that would be enough to swing an endorsement.

Of course, even Al Gore's endorsement would not be on climate change alone but on climate change and electability.

This probably swings it to Obama -- as I said, Edwards and Richardson have been only marginally more aggressive -- with Edwards still
a very outside possibility.

Given Gore's connection to the Old South, an endorsement of Obama would be richly and poignantly symbolic on multiple levels. So I
think that if Obama can up the ante on the environment -- and he would need to do that for Gore -- that's the endorsement that
Gore would most like to be able to offer.

supporter.  I would have supported him if he had run.  However, his endorsement of another candidate would just leave me disappointed in him.  I've met tons of other women online who were originally Gore supporters, but now in Hill's camp.  Now, most of them wouldn't change sides if Gore himself were to run.  I think it is a big risk for him to try to influence the race if he want's to influence environmental policy going forward because he'd lose a lot of grassroots fans by doing so.  Unless he picks someone who has the record on the environment (Richardson), or/and is not likely to win(Dodd), I think it will be a mistake.  He could swing some votes toward Obama or Edwards, but not enough to win it, IMO.  

As an Edwards supporter, the words thing Al Gore could do is endorse Bill Richardson.  

Not because I'm worried about Richardson.

He's largely been saying this all along - I remember from the Larry King interview that he said he would "probably" endorse a candidate.  That being said, it's hard not to notice the sudden up-tick in publicity...this Harvard interview and the Vanity Fair issue since the beginning of the month.  It's been conventional wisdom that if he's thinking about running, we'd start seeing him back in the news in September.

IF he chooses not the run, my bet is that he endorses Edwards or, if he were to ever pick up some traction, Dodd.  If Edwards doesn't get Gore's endorsement, his candidacy might be doomed - a Gore endorsement elsewhere largely undercuts Edwards' liberal base.

Obama is the only candidate that has an environment page on his website and my guess is , they've been courting Gore.

Gore would help Obama the most because it would give him some cred among older voters and bring Gore's fans who's been waiting for Gore, on board...It would also decrease the 'inexperience' meme....If Gore thinks obama is experienced enough , so should you.

That seems pretty far-fetched, almost in the realm of science-fiction.

After all Gore introduced the MoveOn.org forum on climate change which Obama placed 4th in:

http://www.moveon.org/press/pr/release07 1107.html

and Obama's had pretty lackluster reviews of his environmental policies, even supporting liquid coal which Gore is explicity against. For an example of how Obama's plan fares in comparison to others see Grist:

"Barack Obama's take on energy and climate is, well, Obaman: the rhetoric is soaring and high-minded, the policy proposals consensus-seeking and incremental. With the exception of showy gimmicks like his "Health Care for Hybrids" bill, he's largely been a follower, signing on to multiple cap-and-trade bills and copping Schwarzenegger's low-carbon fuel standard. His main splash in the energy world happened when he came out cheerleading for liquefied coal, which coal barons (especially in his home state of Illinois) loved but plenty of other folks hated; he later "clarified" his way back to safety. On these issues, Obama is largely platitudinous and reserved."

http://grist.org/feature/2007/07/06/cand idates/

I can't see Gore endorsing Obama under any circumstances; Gore cares too much about his issues. And he isn't pushing for compromise, but real change.

As an Obama supporter, I hope Statesman Al Gore, as well as President Carter, holds off endorsing anyone.  High profile endorsements are often the kiss of death.  The Gore endorsement was the beginning of the end for Dean the last time.  Let the voters decide.

seriously affect the dynamics of this race.

Gore for Obama '08!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gore has my vote if he runs. If he endorses a candidate, that candidate jumps to the top of my list (since I'm not particularly thrilled with any of them). And I can't be the only one thinking that way. So although I agree that endorsements are often meaningless, I'm not sure Gore's endorsement in particular is as insignificant as your post suggests. The guy's got a large and passionate fan club that values his judgement very highly.

I do not see Gore endorsing Obama. Sorry folks. First of all, Obama supports liquid coal which Gore is against. Liquid coal pollutes way too much and is harmful for the environment. Also, I do not think Obama has a plan to fight global warming. I think he has ideas but no solid concrete plan. I did not know Dodd had a plan on fighting global warming. I will have to check it out. I do think Gore will endorse Edwards. He is the only one among the top 3 that has a concrete plan to fight global warming.

on the front page, especially when he's slamming Gore with "loser's taint" nonsense become fashionable?

Gore won against significant odds that he as handicapped with, esp. the 15-18 point deficit he inherited from the Clinton scandal circus. The 2000 Presidential election: A Synopsis

he will endorse edwards. They are very similar .

this to me makes it very clear why a Gore endorsement would be so hard for Obama to get - and also why it would be such a coup if he did:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbNImXTEk NA

as he said last month, he will probably reenter politics and none of the candidates are speaking about the Climate Crisis as they should be, in his humble opinion.

Time for a COOL change,
Gore
2008

I was hoping that Gore would get in, but I'm pretty much resigned that he isn't getting in.  Oh well... shame.  He'd have been a great President.

Was Chris Dodd, but Ben Smith believes that he'll endorse Barack Obama?  Clearly, pundit logic is not like our earth logic.

Nor is pundit fact like earth fact.  Ben Smith need only look at Dean's polling before and after the Gore endorsement to see that it was an enormous positive for his campaign.  Very few who thought Gore had a "loser's taint" vote in the Democratic primary.

EDWARDS won the Moveon.org poll with 33% of the vote ,next came at 15% for Kucinich.

His plan was applauded by the League of Conservation Voters.

I think if Gore is going to endorse someone, I would hope it would be Edwards.

...forgot to mention...

Edwards is opposed to coal and liquid coal and to nuclear energy. Not the case with the other leading candidates...

Just something to note:  Kerry had the best environmental record of the 04 candidates, but Gore still went with Dean.

As others have pointed out elsewhere in the comments, Gore is not a one-issue thinker. It's entirely possible that Gore supports Obama on other issues, and that he sees that Obama is in a better position to win delegates than Edwards, whose campaign is finished if he fails to win Iowa. Obama at least has the leeway to come in second in Iowa and stay in the race. It's also possible that Gore's endorsement would be conditional, giving Al major influence in shaping environmental policy in an Obama administration. Maybe Obama could promise to make Gore the Secretary Of Energy or the head of the EPA.

My question as follows. I suspect there are an awful lot of people on MyDD and elsewhere who are currently supporting Edwards but would vote for Gore if he ran. Would Gore's endorsement of Obama make you consider moving away from Edwards? I'd ask the same question of Obama supporters. If Gore endorses Edwards, would you switch camps?

A Gore endorsement would not affect the race.

Further, should Gore again endorse a losing candidate, the prestige of his brand would again suffer, just as it did in 2004.

I think that an ex- President or VP should follow the Reagan rule: make no primary endorsement, and endorse whomever the party nominates for the general.

1) I don't know if this means anything, but the recent poll analyzing the impact of Gore entering the race (which he won't) showed that he takes a bigger chunk of Obama voters than Clinton or Edwards.  That MIGHT be some sign of overlap between Obama people and Gore people generally, and indicative that Obama would be the most appealing of the 3 main contenders to Gore himself (as he apparently is to Gore supporters).  I would be in that group, as an Obama supporter who would likely vote for Gore if he did toss his hat in the ring.

2) He's not going to endorse HRC.  The split with the Clintons re 2000 electoral strategy is well-documented.  They think he would have won if he embraced the Clinton record more, he thinks he would have won if not for the lingering scandal fatigue (remember the joke - Bill Clinton could drive through a carwah in a convertible, and Al Gore would get wet).

3) John Edwards has been the most ardent economic populist (at least in rhetoric) on the campaign trail, and that's not consistent with Gore's worldview.  That plus the war vote might be too much for Edwards to overcome and get the endorsement (since all of the candidates are acceptable on environmental issues, IMHO).  I'm also doubtful that Gore wants to have the optics of endorsing the only fellow "Southern white guy" in the race.

4) Obama is the only major candidate who was against the Iraq war, pointedly saying he was against "stupid" wars.  That is consistent with the mindset Gore lays out in "The Assault on Reason," which is a damned good book.  I also think (and admit my possible bias) that Obama is the candidate who is running on "reason" the most (civility and less inflammatory rhetoric fit the "reason" model).

5) I think that it's equally (or maybe more) likely that Gore makes a "second tier" endorsement that gives more traction to someone that Gore thinks deserves a more prominent platform to be heard from.  That way, he's not tarred as a "kiss of death" or choosing sides between the more likely nominees.  As has been mentioned, Dodd and his CO2 tax look like the natural option here.

I think Gore is likely deating between Dood, Obama, and no endorsement (in that order of likelihood).

I am predicting that Al Gore is going to endorse Barack Obama for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination.

When Gore endorsed Dean in 2004- He saw Dean as the future of the Democratic Party.

Gore sees Obama as a new face in American politics and the American dream. A guy being born in a Interracial marriage- A Black Muslim Father and a White Christian mother. Being raised in a foriegn country- Indonesia. Being a Harvard Law School Graduate,Community Organizer, being getting elected to politics.

Gore sees Obama as the candidate of Hope and Dreams. Obama bridges the divisions in this country and around the world.

i dont think the environment will be the be all and end all of a Gore endorsement

is the candidate who visited Gore...msnbc firstread