lavender
Cautiously Optimistic
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2001
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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/15/politics/main533080.shtml
"(CBS) Former Vice President Al Gore has decided not to run for president in 2004.
Gore will announce exclusively on CBS' "60 Minutes" tonight at 7 p.m. EST. that he will not run for president.
"I've decided that I will not be a candidate for president in 2004," Gore tells Lesley Stahl. "I personally have the energy and drive and ambition to make another campaign, but I don't think that it's the right thing for me to do.
"I want to contribute to ending the current administration. I think the current policies have to be changed. I think that my best way of contributing to that result may not be as a candidate this time around."
Gore would have been the likely front-runner in the Democratic field, even though many party activists have said privately they hoped he wouldn't run.
After gradually re-entering politics over the last year, the Democrats' 2000 nominee campaigned for selected candidates around the country this year, then spent the last month promoting a book on the family that he wrote with wife Tipper and making an extensive round of media appearances, including "Saturday Night Live" this weekend.
Gore's decision opens up the 2004 presidential field for Democrats. Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is running and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry has formed an exploratory committee and will announce his decision after the new year. Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, Gore's running mate in 2000, has said he is interested in running
Also considering a run are Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt and North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.
Since re-entering the public arena, Gore has been talking about his views on issues from Iraq to health care to the economy and sending mixed signals on whether he planned to run.
Some aides said the 54-year-old Gore would feel differently from day to day about the decision. He had said he planned to deliberate through the holidays and announce a decision after Christmas.
But Gore finished a round of media appearances Saturday night and decided to go ahead with the announcement. Aides did not immediately say why he changed his timetable."
"(CBS) Former Vice President Al Gore has decided not to run for president in 2004.
Gore will announce exclusively on CBS' "60 Minutes" tonight at 7 p.m. EST. that he will not run for president.
"I've decided that I will not be a candidate for president in 2004," Gore tells Lesley Stahl. "I personally have the energy and drive and ambition to make another campaign, but I don't think that it's the right thing for me to do.
"I want to contribute to ending the current administration. I think the current policies have to be changed. I think that my best way of contributing to that result may not be as a candidate this time around."
Gore would have been the likely front-runner in the Democratic field, even though many party activists have said privately they hoped he wouldn't run.
After gradually re-entering politics over the last year, the Democrats' 2000 nominee campaigned for selected candidates around the country this year, then spent the last month promoting a book on the family that he wrote with wife Tipper and making an extensive round of media appearances, including "Saturday Night Live" this weekend.
Gore's decision opens up the 2004 presidential field for Democrats. Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is running and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry has formed an exploratory committee and will announce his decision after the new year. Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, Gore's running mate in 2000, has said he is interested in running
Also considering a run are Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt and North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.
Since re-entering the public arena, Gore has been talking about his views on issues from Iraq to health care to the economy and sending mixed signals on whether he planned to run.
Some aides said the 54-year-old Gore would feel differently from day to day about the decision. He had said he planned to deliberate through the holidays and announce a decision after Christmas.
But Gore finished a round of media appearances Saturday night and decided to go ahead with the announcement. Aides did not immediately say why he changed his timetable."
