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Politics : Sioux Nation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (98145)	2/3/2007 10:52:04 AM
From: Ron	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 362428

Former Campaign Chief Thinks Gore May Announce on Oscar Night 'Wait till Oscar night,' Donna Brazile says of a possible 2008 run. By Daryl Nerl Of The Morning Call Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are the hot early front-runners, while 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry has already bowed out. But could former Vice President Al Gore be waiting to make a dramatic entrance into the 2008 presidential race, especially if he wins an Oscar next month? His former campaign manager, Donna Brazile, strongly implied that possibility while speaking at Moravian College in Bethlehem Tuesday night. ''Wait till Oscar night,'' Brazile told an audience of about 100 people at Haupert Student Union. ''I tell people: 'I'm dating. I haven't fallen in love yet.' On Oscar night, if Al Gore has slimmed down 25 or 30 pounds, Lord knows.'' ''An Inconvenient Truth,'' a film built around Gore's presentation on the effects of global warming, is one of the Oscar nominees for best documentary feature. A red carpet turn for the former vice president could make him as much a pop culture star as former first lady Clinton or Obama, whom Moravian College Democrats President Maria Smith compared to John F. Kennedy in terms of charisma. Brazile was at Moravian as part of the college's celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. Only 8 years old when America's foremost civil rights leader was assassinated, she said it was King who inspired her to stand up and fight for what she believed in. At the age of 9, she said, she volunteered for a New Orleans candidate who promised to get a playground built in her neighborhood. The candidate won and the playground was built the next year. ''I caught the bug,'' Brazile said. ''Dr. King taught us the time to do right is now.'' At the same time, Brazile said, it was King's lessons about love that gave her strength when President Bush, on three separate occasions, asked her to come to the White House to discuss how to help the people of the Gulf Coast, and in particular her hometown, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the city's levee system. Her own family members have been scattered across the South in that disaster's aftermath. Brazile is the first black woman ever to lead a major presidential campaign, managing Gore's ill-fated 2000 effort. At one point during her speech, she said she still believes Gore won that race. Brazile is a frequent contributor to political coverage on CNN and ABC and leads the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute. Before making her Oscar night comment, she said she was ''so proud'' of Gore's work to bring attention to global warming. ''I believe [Gore] is ready for this moment,'' Brazile said in an interview after her speech. ''He is a good leader. I think he can be one of the few leaders who can bring this country together.'' She acknowledged it will be a tough decision for Gore, noting Kerry's announcement last week to bow out of the race. Gore believes he is now doing his life's work, Brazile said. However, she conceded that Gore might be able to do more about global climate change from inside the Oval Office. He has already made an impact by forcing President Bush to talk about the issue, she said. Regardless of whether her former boss gets involved, Brazile said she is very excited about the 2008 presidential race. She declared it was the first time since 1952 that the race did not feature an ''heir apparent.'' ''I was a little girl in Louisiana and now you're telling me that the top two candidates for president are a woman and an African-American? And I'm not excited?'' Brazile said. Smith, the college Democrats president who was among those who heard Brazile's speech, said she believes Gore would be well-supported among people her age because of his work on global warming. But she said she would still prefer Obama. ''We need a fresh start,'' she said. ''It's a crowded field,'' said Lehigh County Democratic Party Chairman Rick Daugherty, who also was in attendance. ''Her focus is an ideal; who she thinks will be the best candidate. That, I respect.'' mcall.com