Political Miracle Worker

Back in the early 1990's, Washington DC elected Sharon Pratt Kelly as it's mayor. Kelly's administration was in all ways unremarkable, save one. She was so uninspiring and incompetent that she performed the political equivalent of raising Lazarus from the dead. She made Marion Barry re-electable. For those who don't remember , in 1990 Marion Barry was declared politically dead after "the bitch set [him] up " for a crack cocaine bust.

So why I am I thinking about Sharon Pratt Kelly? Mostly because I am thinking about another miracle worker who has raised a political corpse. In late 2000 I would have said--I did say, actually--that the only chance Al Gore had to get into the White House again was a public tour. Thanks to George W Bush, Al Gore may yet grace the Oval Office.

In November 2000 Al Gore won the popular vote by a respectable margin. He lost the electoral vote in a controversial Supreme Court decision that ended his hopes for a recount of the popular vote in key Florida counties and precincts.

Had Al Gore asked for a full recount of the Florida vote he might have won, or lost, but he would have emerged as the man for Bush to beat in 2004. Had he given the gracious concession speech on election night that he gave weeks later he would also have emerged as the man to beat. As it was, Gore took the worst possible course for a potential future candidate. He appeared to pout his way through the following weeks; worse he pursued a course in the courts that seemed at once conniving, pettifogging and cowardly. By demanding a recount of precincts that were heavily Democratic, but declining an opportunity to recount the entire state, Gore seemed to doubt his own voters. Legally, he undercut his own case to the Supreme Court and ensured the moniker of "sore loser".

Then, in the run-up to the 2004 Democratic primary, Gore's endorsement of Howard Dean--with no prior notification to his 2000 running-mate, Joe Lieberman, wh had gone on record as witholding an announcement pending Gore's decision whether to run or not--was considered shabby by the party pros.

But now, with a Democratic field barely smoldering, and an Oscar for his powerpoint presentation, Al Gore is the hottest prospect around. How is it possible? Simple. George W Bush has, through his blistering incompetence, dishonesty and stupidity, reminded all of us how badly we screwed up in November 2000. More importantly, I think he has reminded Gore how badly he screwed up in 2000. If he runs this year, he will not be the same Al Gore as then. There will be no more heavy sighs, no "controlling legal authority". There will be Howard Dean with his loyalists in tow, and--if Gore is nominated--Bill Clinton and lots of him. The sense of humor that so many report that the "real" Al Gore possesses will be evident this time in spades.

But frankly, I don't think it matters. George Bush has been such a disaster that only the deluded and the dishonest can imagine that the better man won in 2000. Al Gore may finally be the man to beat.