Maybe this guy should run for president

Thursday's speech by former Vice President Al Gore about renewable energy raises one big question: Is this the same guy who ran for president against George W. Bush in 2000? It looks like the same guy who won a Nobel Prize last year for his work publicizing the perils of climate change and an Oscar for his film on the same subject. The question has to asked because the Al Gore who ran a lackluster campaign and lost to Bush in 2000 after being part of the successful Clinton administration should still be embarassed. Gore spoke Thursday at an energy conference in Washington and challenged the United States to switch completely to renewable sources of electricity wtihin 10 years. His comments have been hailed by environmentalists and panned by others who consider the goal unrealistic. But this is not a zero-sum game. We already have the generation system we have; replacing even some fossil-fuel generating capacity with renewables will have broad dividends for the economy and the environment. The question is why Gore was unable to articulate his vision during the 2000 campaign.