Will Gore Endorse Obama?

By Steve Clemons, Huffington Post. Posted February 7, 2008.

A well-placed spouse of a Clinton campaign insider just told me that a rumor is spreading like wild fire that Al Gore is going to endorse Barack Obama.

My source emphasizes that this is rumor and may just be paranoia and hyperventilation of the campaign, but it's important to know that this rumor is out there. Another source of mine inside Obamaland has told me that they have been working very hard to secure Gore's public support and trying numerous avenues to "encourage" him.

Frankly, I'm surprised that Gore would do this now -- despite his clear disaffection for the Clintons. He is the undisputed king of the climate change franchise now, but even kingdoms can be assaulted, undermined, outfoxed, circumvented, ridiculed, and starved.

If Hillary Clinton wins this tight race -- which she may still do -- then Gore is gambling with his own status as a climate-change first-and-only transcendant politician.

It will be interesting to see what happens, and of course if Barack Obama wins the primary and then the presidency, Al Gore will get significant credit. The problem is that that can work the other way too.

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