Re-elect Al Gore!

I'm signing up for the Draft Al Gore movement, and hope that the man who should have been our President since 2001 will enter the race. Unfortunately, this may be an exercise in futility, however, because Gore has yet to signal that he is willing to run.

Of the dozen Democrats and Republicans running in the primaries, Gore is by far the most qualified to be our next President. As someone fearful about the possible election of one of the unimpressive Republican candidates, I also feel that Gore is the most electable Democrat.

Although Sen. Hillary Clinton is by far the front-runner in the Democratic primary race, I am concerned that there is such deep-rooted hatred for her that she is unlikely to be elected President.

I cannot fathom why she provokes such emotional opposition. But I think the so-called Republican base would beat down the doors to vote against her, even though Rudy Guiliani, the party's current front-runner, might not be ideologically kosher. I believe she would also turn off much of the independent electorate.

Nevertheless, she would make a better President than any of the Republican candidates. Guiliani exaggerates his accomplishments as New York City's mayor. I wouldn't buy a used car from Mitt Romney. John McCain seems to have lost his marbles when he calls for more troops to fight in Iraq. The other Republicans in the primary races are mostly unknowns who have not shown that they rate serious consideration.

Barack Obama is an exceedingly impressive politician. But I think his background of political accomplishment is still too skimpy to for him to be President. Another one or two productive terms in the Senate might give him the proper credentials. Of course, we've been saddled with George Bush in the White House these past 6-1/2 years--a man who was far less qualified for the Presidency than Obama is now.

Look at the legacy Bush will leave behind: an unnecessary war; massive Federal debt; a foolish tax cut for the rich while bearing the war's massive costs; huge increases in Federal spending; unqualified political hacks running the regulatory agencies; the nation's loss of foreign respect; weakened military capabilities. Have I left anything out?

If Gore disappoints me by deciding not to run again, I plan to vote for John Edwards in the primaries. I feel that he is more electable than Clinton and Obama. More important, I believe he has the talent to correct the mess that Bush will bequeath the nation.