There is a poignant column in the New York Post today that urges Al Gore to pick up the red phone. I believe it is imperative that he answers the call immediately, or risk losing the coalition that democrats have worked so hard to build over the past few years. It really is an emergency 3 AM crisis.
Why Now? As columnist Charles Hurt points out: Clearly, neither candidate is going to drop out before the convention. The math simply isn't there for either candidate to garner a win on the basis of pledged delegates. So eventually, it's going to come down to superdelegates (of which Gore is the most prominent) anyway. If he waits, he risks the democratic candidates tearing each other apart to the point that John McCain only has to re-hash negative talking points that have been driven into the American psyche about the Democratic nominee. Furthermore, he gives Republicans more time to organize and coalesce around a message... and to raise more money.
Why Gore? As Hurt mentions... it needs to come from a respected party elder who can move the needle and motivate superdelegates to organize behind one candidate. Bill Clinton would be the logical choice.. but he may be a little biased.
From NY Post
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who won her post promising the end the war in Iraq? Still waiting for that to happen.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is in a political pickle.
His top two lieutenants - Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin - are not just split on this matter. They are Clinton's and Obama's loyal seat mates in the Senate and top campaign supporters on each side. Schumer's for Hillary, Durbin for Obama.
Living together as the Odd Couple in a house on Capitol Hill doesn't ease tensions between Schumer and Durbin, aides say.
If Reid picks one candidate over the other, his leadership team collapses and sets off a terrible power struggle in the Senate.
That leaves Al Gore as the only person with the experience to answer the red phone and force a peaceful end to this civil war.
So will Gore endorse? The truth is, he doesn't have much of a choice. His choice is to do it now or do it later. The risks to the party of doing it later outweigh the risks to his own political stature of doing it now.