Gore would make a great Energy Secretary

Pardon my tendency to jump ahead to the 2008 election contest as I usually do on this web site.  But ever since Gore's appearance on Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago, everyone is buzzing about 2008.  In a piece in Sunday's New York Times about Gore's sudden move into the spotlight with the debut of his new movie, "An Inconvenient Truth", the former Vice President said that he still is not considering a run for the White House:

Mr. Gore was on the telephone from New York, taking a break from promoting his book and documentary about global warming,to dismiss — with a combination of weariness and wariness, but withsomething approaching finality — speculation that his rising profileshould be interpreted as the first stirrings of another bid for theWhite House.

"Why should I run for office?" Mr. Gore asked, theimpatience evident in his voice. "I have no interest in running foroffice. I have run for office. I have run four national campaigns. Ihave found other ways to serve my country, and I am enjoying them."

Aftera period in which he had worn out his welcome in some quarters, thesehave been days of some vindication for Mr. Gore, the Tennessee Democratwho likes to introduce himself as "the man who used to be the nextpresident of the United States," a melancholy reference to his defeat —a characterization he might be inclined to dispute — by President Bushin 2000.

Just because Gore might not enter the race does not mean that he could not serve his country within a Democrat-led Administration.  In fact, more than anything else, his new film is the perfect audition tape if he ever wanted the Energy Secretary job. 

What an impact he would have!  During the current Administration, Bush has hired more than 100 officials who were once lobbyists, lawyers or spokespeople for the very industries they now oversee.  This Administration has made the Energy Department less green than it has ever been.  Gore would be the perfect antidote for someone like Mark Warner, Hillary Clinton or whoever becomes president to throw in there as the head of the Department of Energy and start cleaning up our current mess.