Don't do it, Mr. Gore

Now that Al Gore has won the Nobel Peace Prize, the question everyone seems to be asking is, "Will he or won't he?" Run for President of the United States, that is.

For my money, the better question is "should he or shouldn't he?" And the answer is a definitive "no".

There are all sorts of reasons to do so, including the power, retribution for 2000 and... okay, mostly the power. But power at what cost?

1. Public image: Presidential campaigns can get notoriously unethical (Swift Boat, anyone?). Does Gore really want his Nobel sheen (TM me) to be sullied by the dirt that will inevitably be thrown his way? What if he starts levelling accusations at other candidates? Gore has effectively positioned himself as a man outside politics, and global warming as a non-partisan issue that the entire world should be concerned about. Why re-enter a divided public forum with a grade-school level of discourse?

2. Time: Campaigning for president (and then actually being president, should he win) would take potentially five years away from Gore's environmental focus. He has other (non-endangered) fish to fry, so to speak.

3. Cool Al: Like any presidential candidate would ever agree to go on live TV and do this: