I dunno, even if Hillary is elected I doubt she could shut off any and all contact with Al Gore if she wants to be taken seriously on climate change, regardless of personal animosity.  He's the undisputed party scion for the issue - it'd be like doing the quiz show hearings without Charles Van Doren, to paraphrase that movie.

Looking at the picture above: does Bono come with the Gore endorsement?

Anyway, I can't wrap my head around the timing. It seems to me that Gore would help most before Super Tuesday, but which day would be best? I don't think Obama wants to overshadow the Kennedies, who have an event Saturday night in the Bay Area (clearly, their tender egos are one reason why they rejected Clinton). So maybe an announcement Saturday and a speech Sunday. But that's cutting it awfully close to Tuesday, especially given the rise of early voting.

Besides, I think Gore sees an opportunity to fill the elder statesman role that Bill has abdicated. Edwards is the far more likely endorsement, especially after the debate last night where I think Hillary parted ways on immigration and Iraq.

I think Tipper's endorsement would mean more.

Who cares whom Al Gore endorses?

What about a prime-time speech at a rally Sunday night, a the same time Hillary is doing her little town hall on the Hallmark Channel? That would seem to me to be the ideal timing, especially since a Gore endorsement has at least 24 hours of news-dominating legs, whereas Hillary's Hallmark Channel stunt probably does not. Completely drowns her out.

Super Tuesday is coming up fast, and looks increasingly like it's going to be a tie. Next Wednesday we are going to wake up with about 50% for Obama and 50% for Hillary. The party is going to be in a state of chaos.

This is when Gore, party elder statesman, can come in a break the tie, say going in to the Ohio and Texas primary). It would be a huge boost for Obama, and one that Hillary would have no answer for.  

Why not wait until then.

MoveOn for Obama? Oh goody.

He ain't going to endorse.  He would have done it by now--so as to dominate the news cycle for the weekend.  He's not going to endorse.  He's staying out of this one.  Just like he stayed out of the race.  He sits atop Mount Nobel.

Rhubarbs: Good thought, but Hillary's town hall is Monday night. Maybe an announcement Sunday and a speech primetime Monday. Still cutting it close, but it does have the benefit of taking the oomph away from her Hallmark event.

adamvaught: I see your logic, but I wonder if it wouldn't be more effective if Obama came out 55-45 or even 60-40 rather than concede a tie? Gore might just be able to produce those numbers. Given Obama's post-Feb 5 buy, though, you could be right that they have a strategy for after Tuesday and don't want to front-load all of their major endorsements.

Adamvaught, I think your scenario makes some sense, but you could also argue that it's already looking like a horse race, or something close to it, and Gore's backing might very well put Obama on top next Tuesday, which would immediately be credited to Gore's last minute endorsement. Your way just makes me nervous, because, even though Obama absolutely has the Big Mo, she still has the institutional advantages that could keep him at bay.

Or it could be that an impasse is the moment that Gore - who's not running but steadfastly refuses to rule out his candidacy - will await, hoping that it leads to being drafted. How that would in fact come about I fail to see, but it seems to be the spot he has left open to fill.

HELLO! The superbowl is on Sunday.

Monday morning (leaked Sunday night for the papers) would be interesting, because it would completely swamp her townhall coverage. And youv'e gotta throw tipper in there too - so women doing think it's the guys ganging up on the girl or something.

Shouldn't it be: The Netroots <i>are</i>...?

Are any political ads running during the superbowl, or is it too expensive?

Virginiacentrist, I'm actually watching the Superbowl this year, and yet I forgot to take it into account! D'oh!

But if Hillary's town hall is Monday night, and that's also when the Senate is scheduled to vote on the stimulus, what will Hillary do? Blow off all the older women tuning into the Hallmark Channel, or blow off the defining economic vote of the year?

VAcentrist, forgive me if you've read this before because I've said it before: we've only seen that instinctive reaction that some women have to seeing men gang up on a woman during debates. Lazio in 2000, and possibly Edwards and Obama in NH. It hasn't happened with endorsements, and there's no reason to think it should. NY NOW aside, I think women respond to the ganging up phenomenon when we actually see it happening, and it resembles our own lives. I think, when it's a matter of endorsements, we have the rationality to appreciate that endorsing a man who is running against a woman is not ganging up.

Just as a side note, can someone at the site fix the clock? It's not 8:00 right now (at least not in the USA).

There is simply no way Hillary could ignore Gore and try to do any work on climate change.  He starred in an Oscar award winning documentary on climate change and won the Nobel Prize for his tireless work on the issue.  You can't just overlook that kind of status for petty political reasons, not even if you're Hillary Clinton.

This report is a little confusing--mostly because it was written at a couple different times throughout

I don't think an Al Gore endorsement at this stage of the game will do much good.  What Obama needs is this:

"Tom Brady, you just led the Patriots to yet another Super Bowl victory.  What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to endorse Barack Obama.  WOOOOOO!"

Think I'm with MollySimon on this.  Gore endorsing anyone = risky business to that elder statesman thing, there is alot of power in that which he dissipates if he steps into the muck.  Look at Bill (not that Gore would make such an unmitigated ass of himself).  

I think it actually would have an impact if Gore endorsed, mostly because the press (and all of us junkies) are so excited and engaged in this campaign, we're all like the Beatles fans. John or Paul show their face at a window and we're shriek and faint like 14 year olds.  The coverage alone, easy to digest, will matter.  For God's sake, we all swooned and yakked over old Edward Kennedy for what, a week or so now?  

Hmmm bc.... the dynamics of a Brady endorsement would be fraught.  CW might say that it helps him in Rhode Island, Mass, and Connecticut, and kills him in the rest of the country.  However, the combined sexyness of Brady and Obama might do wonders to that Gender gap.

Tom Brady is a Republican... personal guest of Bush a couple SOTU ago..

Wandrey:  Yeah, the Beatles.  I've been comparing myself to that snap of two girls in hysterics upon sighting the Fab Four on their first US tour.  I've cooled a little since last night because I was so impressed with Hillary's "mastery" (but not of her own "domain" if that's what you'd call Bill).    

Question:  Say he leaks it Sunday night.  Isn't that cutting it close, if not too late?  Doesn't the levee need a few more days to break?

Huma's the mistress of that domain.

I have this idea for a Barack Obama super bowl ad:

Announcer 1: "It's 4th down and 6.  Thirty seconds remain on the clock.  The American team needs to break out of this slump and score a touchdown if they want to win.  Quarterback Bush's fourth quarter performance has been very troubling, fraught with interceptions, fumbles, and sadly, a safety."

Announcer 2: "It's been a rough season for Bush, this team has been penalized more than ever, scored less points than... wait... I'm getting word now that the decision has been made to bench George W. Bush and give rookie quarterback Barack Obama the ball.  Can he turn this game around for the Americans?"

Announcer 1: "Here he comes now, we'll just have to wait and see."

(Obama takes the field, calls an audible and throws deep, completing a 40-yard touchdown pass)

Announcer 2: "Amazing, absolutely amazing!!"

(Cut to Obama on the field)

Obama: "My name is Barack Obama, and I don't throw like a girl."

btw, that's a f***ing weird photograph, makes the odd couple look like a pair from a sci-fi flick with Japanese overtones. Lucas meets manga.

Deserves a TalkBacker Caption Contest.

epicciuto (RE: ganging up):

Maybe so. I'm just terrified of another last minute gender-based backlash. And Obama is too. That's why he made nice last night with the "we're friends" and the chair thing.

I've heard many people say that "the men were ganging up on the woman in the debate". As you say, this may resemble a real life situation and trigger a visceral reaction of sympathy towards Hillary. But frankly...the phrase "damsel in distress" comes to mind. Not exactly feminism in action...

bcbaird,

Great ad pitch. Is there time to get it done before the big game? I hear Obama's got the cash.

Make your own YouTube, put it up.

Ah yes - the girl power deep rumblings are real and dangerous, Obi Wan.  Found out all the older ladies in my Mom's nice-liberal-white-people Presbretarian church in the wine country of Oregon are all foaming at the mouth Hillary lunatics.  Mom is an Obama lunatic and there's tension at the nice lady lunches, I hear.

At least they all still spend most of their time planning the next free meal for the immigrants in town, no one cares whether they are documented or not.  (The whole lot of us are useless on that issue, soft as butter I'm afraid).

Anyway, I lke the idea of Gore working the momentum, why now!

In other news, MoveOn.org, the strategic geniuses of Petraeus/Betray Us, endorsed Obama the day after the National Jouurnal ranked him the Number 1 liberal in the U.S. Senate. Al Gore's endorsement is widely expected as is that of The American Society of Left-Wing Caricatures.

This will be mighty powerful stuff for the general against a pushover like American Hero John McCain. Yessir....mighty powerful stuff. I bet we win Massachussetts by 20 points this time and not just 15.

Bullshit, bcbaird.  Americans will never think a black quaterback can win the Super Bowl.

(And yes, I know Doug Williams did)