Al Gore - Will He or Won't He?

There has been a great deal of speculation over the past week as to whether Al Gore is planning a Presidential run in 2008. Now, much of this speculation has been brought about by the fact that this past saturday, Gore hosted the "First Annual Gore Family Dinner" in Tennessee. This event was for local Democrats in Gore's home state - the same state that he sadly lost in 2000.

I say sadly because had Gore won that state, he would have won the Presidency. And it is amazing to think how different America and the world would be today if Al Gore had become President and George Bush had gone back to Texas.

Perhaps we will get a chance to know just how different things would be, but we will only know that if Gore decides to run. After all, one needs to run for President before one can become President.

I believe Al Gore has a lot to offer. I believe he has a lot of experience, a lot of heart, and a lot of sound ideas on how to move this great country of ours forward.

So while many of you will disagree, the Plausible Pundit has his fingers crossed hoping that Al Gore will decide to win the Presidency one more time.

A Supreme Announcement - Part I

Rumors are flying that Edith Clement will be the Supreme Court nominee put forward by W tonight. If it is indeed Edith Clement, this will be a bit of a surprise to us in Pundit Land that have suggested W will go with a staunch conservative. According to early reviews of Clement's judicial record, she appears to be in line with departing justice, Sandra Day O'Connor.

It will be interesting to see how the ultra-right wing of the Republican party responds to this announcement. Moreover, it will be interesting to see how the Democrats respond.

If Clement truly is O'Connor-esque, let's hope the Band of 14, those that held together to fend off the nuclear option, continue to stay together. If we can confirm a moderate fairly quickly, let's do it. Otherwise, I fear the Members of Congress once again making a bunch of fools out of themselves, and in the process, a mockery of the once respected legislative branch.

To be continued...

Double-Standard, Hypocritical Crap

Wow! While the Plausible Pundit has been vacationing at the Jersey Shore and Las Vegas, all hell has broken loose. London has been attacked, Rehnquist is going nowhere, Hillary is a Republican, and Karl Rove is in the hot seat. So much for an uneventful, relaxing summer…

While there is much to discuss, let’s focus on Karl Rove for no other reason than I’m just having a lot of fun with this. First, Karl Rove is not a brilliant political strategist. He just isn’t. Now before all of you Republicans start rolling your eyes, think about it a moment. Karl Rove’s brilliant strategy for W’s 2000 election was a complete failure. Had it not been for that damn butterfly ballot mishap, Al Gore would be POTUS. In fact, if Al Gore had gotten the Pat Buchanan votes that were caused by that cursed butterfly ballot, no recount would have been necessary. But if it did go forward, Al Gore would have romped W by at least 2000 votes, significantly more than the puny 300 plus votes that made W POTUS.

Anyway, I’m off topic. The fact is that the Bush lost the 2000 presidential race, regardless of the outcome. He received half a million less votes than Gore, and if people knew what they were doing in Florida, the Electoral College would have gone Gore as well. So Karl Rove is a big fat loser in 2000. Karl Rove is a big fat loser in 2004, too. Why? Because he lost the election in 2000; therefore, 2004 would never have happened if it wasn’t for the bullsh*@ of 2000.

Now that I have established that Karl Rove is a big fat loser, I must point out that the United States Congress is full of a bunch of big fat hypocrites - Hillary aside, though I promise there will be plenty of time to get to her. Why are they hypocrites, you ask? Simply put, if this was a Democratic administration, and Karl Rove was a Democratic strategist, the Congressional Republicans would be clamoring for hearing after hearing after hearing! And you know what? There would be hearing after hearing after hearing. Remember the 90’s?

Let me be clear. While I despise (and feel sorry for) the ground Karl Rove walks on, I believe that he should not be fired at this point. I mean, I can’t stand the guy, but that isn’t a reason for him to stop going to work. After all, we don’t really know for certain what he has or has not done yet. And that is exactly the point! We don’t know what he has or has not done. But we should and Congress should find out.

So, listen here, Congress. Enough hypocrisy, damn it! Part of your job is oversight, regardless of party. Now oversee, already!

A Supreme Surprise

Well, so much for taking my advice. The biggest problem with being a pundit is that events don’t always unfold the way you’ve predicted. In my case, I offered a Supreme Strategy for Democrats to embrace when Chief Justice Rehnquist retired. The only problem is that while a member of the “Supremes” did decide to step down, it wasn’t the Chief.

With Sandra Day O’Connor’s decision to retire, the Plausible Pundit must go back to his think tank, because the strategy I outlined last week simply no longer applies. Sorry, Dems. Even I was surprised by this one.

What surprises me most though is the number of folks who are wondering whether Bush will nominate a moderate or a conservative. I’m shocked that this is even a question. W has shown he is nothing if not a “draw a line in the sand” conservative, especially in a moment like this. Here he has the opportunity to solidify a conservative court for decades to come. After all, this is but the first of at least two appointments W will be able to make.

My only hope, our only hope is that Bush will pick a conservative who ends up making decisions much like O’Connor. For the most part, she was originally considered to be a staunch right-winger, but in the end, it was moderation that seemed to guide her decisions.

Regardless, roll up your sleeves, my friends. It’s about to get nasty…

Shore, Cure, & War

Happy Birthday, America! It is that time of year again - a time when friends and family gather for food, fun, and sun to celebrate America’s independence. The Plausible Pundit will be heading for the Jersey shore with like-minded friends from the college years. And while I know this is going to be a great time, I do have a sense of nostalgia.

You see, the last time I was shore bound, with a group of college buddies, it was the summer of 2001 – August to be exact. Things were very, very different then, and I can’t help but feel a longing for those days, simpler days, at least, that is the way I remember them.

Then, I was still licking my wounds after a crushing presidential defeat. Only nine months had gone by since the Supreme Court decided Al Gore would not be president, and I was licking my chops for Idiot-in-Chief to make his first Presidential Address to the American people.

You see, that is who George Bush was in those days – Idiot-in-Chief. His poll numbers were fairly low, people thought he was fairly stupid, and most expected an uneventful first and only term. After all, the Twin Towers stood tall and Americans still had another month of innocence to enjoy before that fateful September morning when everything would change. Idiot-in-Chief would become Commander-in-Chief, and a second term would become all but certain.

But back when Al Gore was more than just a distant memory, Bush was about to explain his reasons for basically banning all stem-cell research, and with it, killing the hopes of millions looking for a cure. And I couldn’t wait to see him screw-up. As my friends and I gathered around the TV on that beautiful, Avalon, New Jersey evening, Bush, to my surprise, delivered a fairly good speech – one that I completely disagreed with – but good, nonetheless. Still, I took comfort in the fact that most people disagreed with him. After all, in three and half years, a Democrat would simply reverse his decision. Right?

Well, we all know how that turned out.

Still, I’m looking forward to my trip down the shore. There will be plenty of sun, plenty of friends, and plenty to drink. And when I’m walking the beach, listening to the sounds of the sea, I’ll think back to another time at the shore: A time when there were hopes for a cure. A time when America was not at war.