US Features
Al Gore documentary rekindles political career
By Andy Goldberg
May 25, 2006, 19:00 GMT

Los Angeles - Former US vice president Al Gore launched his new environmental documentary Wednesday to rave reviews and speculation that it could spark a political comeback for the man who lost out to George W Bush in the disputed 2000 presidential election.

An Inconvenient Truth stars Gore not as a brooding politician lamenting his loss but as a man transformed by his passionate belief in the need to tackle global warming.

The movie, which was released in US cinemas Wednesday, follows Gore's travels around the world since 2001, during which time he has delivered over 1000 speeches on the dangers posed by global warming.

Director Dave Guggenheim combines the data of Gore's presentations with vignettes from his life, finally succeeding in humanizing the man once known as RoboGore for his stale personality. Of particular note is Gore's recollection of how his sister's death from lung cancer convinced his father to give up tobacco farming.

The movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this week, where Gore was reportedly swooned over as much as genuine movie stars like Brad Pitt.

Arianna Huffington, a democratic strategist and queen of the blogosphere, who accompanied Gore on the Cannes trip, called Gore 'the hottest star in town' and wrote that 'you can hear the Run, Al, Run chant growing louder.'

That's not just a proud Democratic activist talking. From the Boston Globe to CNN, to USA Today and the Washington Post, movie reviewers have recommended the film while political pundits speculate that it could show Gore his way to the White House.

'Gore is back and he's hot,' crowed USA Today, while Washington Post columnist Sebastian Mallaby noted that the country was ripe for a Gore comeback.

'Bush and the Republicans have created a ... hunger for a leader with diagrams and charts. By their contempt for expert opinion on everything from Iraqi reconstruction to the cost of their tax cuts, Republicans have turned Diagram Gore into a hero.'

Others point out that Gore is perfectly placed to launch a challenge for the White House, using his record on the environment to rally the left, which is discontented with the centrist policies of frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton.

With powerful name recognition, a strong support base and new credence as an ex-politician who speaks his mind about the true challenges facing the country, Gore could easily emerge as the dark horse of the 2008 race.

'He would bring stature, good name, money and a rallying cause - the environment,' Donna Brazile, Gore's 2000 campaign manager told USA Today.

So far Gore has kept to the line that he is a recovering politician content with his role as a high profile environmental activist.

Despite his straight talking in the film, he reverted back to a more standard politician's answer when asked by CNN whether he would definitely rule out a comeback run for the White House.

'I've said that I'm not at the stage of my life where I would say never for the rest of my life would I ever think of such a thing,' he said.