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Posted on 01/21/2003 2:09:18 PM PST by Bubba_Leroy
A former Colorado senator said he may want to make a run at the White House in 2004. But it's not the first time he's had presidential aspirations.
Hart launched a new Web site over the weekend -- GaryHart2004.org.
The Web site does not blatantly say he's throwing his hat in the ring but it certainly leaves little doubt.
It's a scenario few would predict following his failed 1988 presidential bid when a disgraced Hart pulled out of the race amid a sex scandal.
But a new millenium has wrought a new reality for the Democrats, which is why Hart's exploring his options in a very public way, 7NEWS reported.
Hart said on ABC's "This Week" program that he's going to Iowa this week to meet with supporters, and plans to make a final decision in March.
"It's the quality and caliber of people's response, it's an intuitive thing, I think. If you've been in public life, you can tell how serious people are," Hart said.
In order for Hart, 65, to have a chance of success, he must prove his appeal with middle America, and that may depend on overcoming some strong memories.
Hart, a U.S. senator from 1974 to 1986, unsuccessfully challenged Walter Mondale for the 1984 Democratic nomination. He campaigned again for the 1988 nomination but withdrew after reporters spotted him at a Washington town house with Rice, who was then 29. She was also pictured in his lap on a pleasure boat called "Monkey Business."
"I just think of monkey business when I think of Gary Hart," Denver resident Cameron Burno said.
As a presidential candidate, Hart won't be able to avoid questions about his involvement with model Donna Rice, but he said if his wife, Lee, of 44 years could get over it, others should too.
"People in this country are very, very understanding, and they're very willing to forgive," Hart said.
How much so has still to be seen.
"All I can say is, since Bill Clinton, anything goes," Denver resident Maria Kitscher said.
Others told 7NEWS that "Hart's time has come and gone" or that "it's time to move on, and get on with it."
Hart practices international law in Denver and recently has moved aggressively into the work of homeland security.
His report on terrorist threats preceded the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and since then, he's raised the awareness through town meetings of the still-existing risks, which could grow greater.
"The threat will escalate dramatically in this country when the first American soldier crosses the Iraqi border and we are not prepared," Hart said.
Those are his words of warning and of possibly a presidential platform.
If he does run, he would have to overcome his past and would still have to raise millions of dollars and build a mammoth organization over the next year.
Hart said he will announce in March if he will run for president. He lives in the community of Troublesome Gulch in the foothills west of the city.
My thoughts exactly.
Do we have the Twelve Tweebs yet? All these guys are going to split the white vote, and Al Sharpton will win most of the primaries.
Remember when getting caught using an intern as a receptacle, wanking off in the Oval Office sink and blatantly lying to the American public would end a political career?
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