A good night for Al. What’s that about $10 or $15 million worth of free airtime last night?

Next cycle every presidential candidate is going to want to try and win an Oscar.

So, when will he announce ? (click ruby red heels together three times, “there’s no one like Al, there’s no one like Al, there’s no one like Al”).

If Gore really is running, expect a September or early October announcement. That’s when candidates traditionally announce their intentions. In addition to avoiding nearly a year of press scrutiny, and a long summer where the candidates and the press beat up on each other, Gore has a very good reason to hold off announcing:

He has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his worldwide efforts to raise public awareness of global warming and Nobel prize winners are announced in early October. While it’s not a sure thing that Gore will win (there are hundreds of nominations), the Nobel committee has recently been awarding the Peace Prize to people in one of four categories: those who can use their Nobel Peace Prize to gain further political clout (e.g., Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu), people at serious risk of governmental repression - to insulate them from overt attack (e.g., Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma/Myanmar, the Dalai Lama), to directly repudiate some of America’s more odious policies (e.g., Martin Luther King, Jody Williams of The International Campaign to Ban Landmines), or as an “attaboy” for long and tireless service to some good cause (Mother Theresa/Sisters of Charity, Jimmy Carter, Elie Wiesel). Given that Al Gore pegs at least 3 of these categories (extra political clout, repudiating ugly U.S. policy, honorable service) and that there aren’t many other contenders, I think/hope he’ll win.

Imagine the buzz that Gore will get off of that! Say that he announces on September 15, 3 weeks later his win is announced, then in mid December he gets even more buzz when he goes to Oslo to pick up his prize. Suddenly, he’s got impeccable foreign policy credentials and incredible moral standing as well as a great narrative about “his time in the wilderness” and “maturation” after having been unjustly denied victory in 2000. Add to that the fact that many people who voted against Gore in 2000 are now feeling serious “buyer’s remorse” for backing Bush, and Gore wins the primaries and the general election by a landslide. He gets extra credit if he picks Obama or Edwards as his VP candidate, picking up their aura of “youth and hope” to balance Gore’s “elder statesman” stodginess.

oooooh, Thomas, I like how you think.
To Al, “I’m counting on it, oh Nobel One”.