Opinion: Gore's departure

A Times Editorial

Gore's departure

By giving up his own presidential ambitions, Al Gore has opened new possibilities for the Democrats and has created a better chance for the political debate to move forward.

Cleanly shaven and brooding only for comic effect on Saturday Night Live, Al Gore finally offered Democrats a reinvention that could reinvigorate him and his party. Gore's departure from the 2004 presidential race, announced Sunday without a hint of lingering animosity, leaves the Democratic nomination wide open and moves the political debate beyond hanging chads and grudge matches.

Some of Gore's reasons for declining a potential rematch with George W. Bush are no doubt practical. The politics of the war against terrorism and a resistance to his candidacy among many party leaders would have made the race more difficult for him. But Gore also showed some genuine humility and grace. As host of Saturday Night Live last week, Gore poked fun at his wooden persona and patronizing manner ("patronizing of course means talking to people like they're stupid," he informed the audience), his lingering kiss with Tipper and his obsession with the Oval Office (in a skit with the cast of West Wing, he was unwilling to leave the president's chair).

The next day, Gore told 60 Minutes' Lesley Stahl: "I personally have the energy and the drive and the ambition to make another campaign. But I don't think it's the right thing for me to do. I think that a campaign that would be a rematch between myself and President Bush would inevitably involve a focus on the past that would in some measure distract from the focus on the future that I think all campaigns have to be about."

Gore is right, and the mid-term elections provide ample evidence of what the Democrats can expect if they continue to wallow in what could have been. Gore, as he re-emerged in the national spotlight in recent months, said a few things worthy of continued exploration President Bush tightens military pressure on Iraq but tolerates North Korea's nuclear provocations. When American soldiers are asked to sacrifice their lives, American families will demand clearer principles.

Gore also has reintroduced universal health care to the national discourse, though his cheap attacks on Democratic rival Bill Bradley's plan in 2000 helped muddle the party's message. Some 41.2-million Americans are now uninsured, and those who do have access to medical care are facing double-digit premium increases and declining benefits. With Washington Republicans showing little tolerance for true health care reform, Democrats have a chance to seize the initiative.

The Democratic primary field for 2004 is likely to be sizable, and Gore's departure will encourage even more candidates and promote a more meaningful debate. By forsaking his own ambitions, Gore can add his own thoughtful voice to the national debate over the economy, the environment and national defense without having every opinion dissected for political motives.