With the option of Gore running again, my stomach turns into a knot. We sure don't want to go through what we did last election. I hope and pray that by the time the election of 2004 comes they have state of the art voting machines. That they watch college students who boasted of voting twice and was allowed to. That they don't go in as dead people or as animals or that they don't recruit retarded people or criminals. That the registration of all voters are legitimate and they check it out methodically. That they straighten out how the military votes and allow them to. That they watch Illinois like a hawk with the corrupt politicians there who don't bat an eye at voting irregularities.
My personal opinion is that Mr. Moneybags for the Democratic Party aka Clinton isn't going to give the okay to a Gore run. Clinton and Gore now hold a grudge against one another and unless Gore is willing to publicly grovel to his old boss he won't get any help from the national party. Clinton is going to have the final say and the successor to his crown is going to have to acknowledge Clinton as the real power behind the scenes.
I don't believe Gore has enough grassroots support from lowlevel Dems to make it on his own.
That said: My hope is that Gore does run because it is a distraction to other hopefuls such as the "charismatic and shallow" (shades of Clinton) Edwards and the dour Kerry who might not get enough traction in their bid for the nomination with Gore's presence in the race.
If Gore runs the country will not see a replay of 2000. Bush is going to be far more formidable and daunting as a candidate than the man Gore faced and lost to the first time. Whereas, Gore has used up much political capital and reputation in his last failed bid.
Bush would win hands down against him. T