An Open Letter to Al Gore I'm mailing a copy of my letter below to Mr. Gore himself, but I felt that my opinions were relevant enough to re-post here. I urge others to write Al Gore as well and urge him to run for President. Dear Vice President Gore, I write this letter to you today as one patriot to another. Six years ago, I voted in my first Presidential election and proudly voted for you. I have since remained one of your biggest supporters. You are a great man who has changed the world for the better. The situation today has led me to conclude that if you do not run for President in 2008, our nation and perhaps the entire planet may be doomed. Although there will be immense personal costs, I beg you to seek the Democratic nomination for President in 2008. We are living in a world on the brink of a catastrophe. Global warming is out of control and the Republicans controlling Congress and the White House are doing their best to ignore it. Scientists seem to be in complete agreement that we are on a path for destruction unless we change our harmful policies. The GOP prides itself on a distrust of science that coincidentally justifies their deplorable record of caving to corporate polluters at all costs. While the Democratic party's record is not without blemishes, you and I both know that we Democrats are the only ones who can turn the tide and prevent an environmental disaster. The reason is that Democrats are beholden to the people, not special interests. You are seen by people of my generation as the foremost champion of environmentalism among politicians. Your book Earth in the Balance is a stunning example of the kind of leadership and foresight that our nation requires. The 2008 Presidential election may very well be the last chance that we have to reverse the damage humans have done. Another Republican President, or even a misguided Democrat President, would likely put the planet on an irreversible course for doom. Not only do I believe that you are by far the best person for the job, I believe you are the only Democrat capable of appealing to the broad cross-section of America that is necessary to win a national election. There are two main reasons for my belief. The first, less important reason, is your Southern heritage. The Democrats will never win national elections if we concede the entire South to the Republicans. The second, more important reason, is your ability to freely speak your mind. In recent years, you have consistently been ahead of the curve when it comes to pointing out the problems caused by the Bush administration. When craven Democrats feared to take a stand against the Iraq war, you were there to tell the world the fallacy to come. When people feared to point out the constitutional violations implicit in domestic warrantless wiretapping, you were there to expose the truth. The media and the Republican machine tries to spin your frankness as a negative. They are dead wrong. No reasonable American sees your truth-telling as a negative. The American people want a strong leader who is not afraid to tell it likes he sees it. They want someone just like you. I am currently in my second year at University of San Francisco School of Law. I have decided to become a public defender and dedicate my life to helping those less fortunate. I have begun to wonder, however, if the United States will be the kind of place in which I can raise children. The abominable environmental policies of the Bush administration combined with their flagrant disregard of the Constitution causes me great concern. I feel that you provide our best, and perhaps last, hope to change the course of history and ensure that this great nation thrives well into the next century. I realize that you have been in public service for many years and that you deserve to pursue happiness in other channels. But the imperatives of our nation are calling you back into service. Should you run for President, I will do anything and everything in my power to help you get elected. Mr. Gore, the United States and the world at large desperately needs your leadership in these troubled times.