Pallin' With Al?

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 622

I am a great disbeliever in political coincidence. Hence, my interest was immediately piqued when an email from Al Gore came fluttering into my inbox a few minutes ago.

Ostensibly, Gore was writing to praise/promote John and Teresa Kerry's book This Moment on Earth. But the email shifts about halfway through into a pitch to sign up at Al Gore's website, and an appeal to...well, I'll just quote some excerpts:

"Right now our nation is ready to cross the tipping point beyond which our leaders will be forced to take real action to solve the climate crisis. However, in order to cross that threshold it is going to take a sufficient expression of political will.

Most of our Representatives in Washington know there is no longer a debate about the fact that the climate crisis is real -- and they know the serious consequences our planet faces if we fail to act. Political will is a renewable resource, and enough already exists to start solving this crisis. We just have to communicate that forcefully to the political leaders of our country...The most powerful way to realize that change is through the activism of the American people.

That is why a few months ago I began building a movement at AlGore.com. Already we have grown to a community of more than 550,000. In order to ultimately succeed we will need to grow even bigger.

I urge you to join me in working for change...Together, we can create a better tomorrow for our Earth if we seize this vital moment."

"Political will," "a movement...we have grown to more 550,000...we will need to grow even bigger...join me in working for change..." These are all phrases that have no direct connection to a political campaign; the avowed intent of the email is to promote a community of activists on climate change. Except...there's a presidential election next year, there is no indication that anyone is running away with the Democratic nomination at this point, and Al Gore just happens to send out an email soliciting people to sign up at his website...which, in case you hadn't noticed, is not called StopClimateChange.com, or SaveEarth.com, or anything environmentally related. The website is AlGore.com.

All of this proves nothing. But it suggests much. Mostly, it says Al Gore is doing nothing to discourage speculation that he's going to get into this thing. It got my attention, and, I'd be willing to bet, that of more than a few senior people in Democratic campaign offices this afternoon.