Gore's hat still in the ring as Democrats look ahead to 2004

As I passed the souvenir shop in Union Station a small poster caught my eye among the clutter of political postcards and cartoons. "Re-elect Gore in 2004". Re-elect. That's nice, I thought, Stella would like that.

Indeed, I was on my way to see Stella O'Leary, the formidable dynamo who is the driving force of Irish-American Democrats. She, like many diehard Democratic loyalists, has never recognised the legitimacy of the George Bush presidency. A bit like the Provos and the courts, in the old days, that is. We was robbed, she maintains, pointing an accusing finger at Jeb Bush's acolytes in Florida and the US Supreme Court.

From that it's only a short step to talking about "re-electing" Gore, the real President. But such things are not said in public these days of national-standing-togetherness. And so Stella was forced to introduce Al Gore to us merely as the former Vice-President and partner with Bill Clinton in the historic US contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process.

The latter role, and a tribute to it, were the ostensible reasons for the Irish-American Democrats' function on Thursday night in the Phoenix Park Hotel on Capitol Hill. Another minor O'Leary fiction - the occasion, attended by a couple of hundred, was an opportunity both to replenish the coffers of the Irish-American Democrats' Political Action Committee, and for Al Gore to keep the profile up among party activists, just in case he might wish to throw the hat in the ring again for the presidency in 2004.

It's far too early to declare yet, and as Paul Quinn, a veteran Irish lawyer and lobbyist, put it "he probably doesn't know yet himself". But there's no harm in keeping in with the boys.

It was a fine performance, too. Low-key, relaxed, leavened with well-paced self-deprecating humour, a far cry from the wooden Gore we saw on the campaign trail.

And I must mention the tie. The green tie, worn for the occasion.

Apparently on one famous night, speaking to an Irish forum in New York, he had been prevailed upon to swap his own tie for the said tie. And The Irish Times had written about the tie and ignored the speech. Or so he claims, most implausibly.

Gore is out of frontline politics now, working as a visiting professor in politics (a "VP", he says) and writing a book about families with his wife Tipper, a doughty campaigner in her own right. It is a period of reflection and "growth", he says, an allusion to the light beard he now sports.

"I am Al Gore," he introduces himself to the crowd. "I used to be the next President of the US. You win some, you lose some, and then there's that little known third category . . . " But it does not do to dwell on that notable injustice. Democrats and the left are still sore, but most of the nation has rightly or wrongly put the election behind it. They don't want a sore loser.

He hints at political controversy, makes an obligatory tribute to the Irish who died on September 11th, but is careful to demonstrate total support for the war effort. He talks about marriage, safer ground. There are, apparently three stages in the traditional marriage: first, romantic infatuation; second, power struggles; third, mutual acceptance. "I am in the fourth," he says, "abject surrender". They laugh. Tipper is not to be trifled with.

Finally, a tribute to Ireland and a pledge to keep fighting its corner. Will he be the candidate? Democrats are convinced George Bush, riding at record levels in the polls now, will be beatable in 2004. The economy is his Achilles heel, and, they reckon, memories of the glorious Afghan military campaign will have faded. Maybe. I'm not convinced by any means.

Perhaps we'll get a sense of the possible in next year's mid-term congressionals.

But, say it's so. Will it be by a retread, or a new candidate? Lining up in the long grass believed to be interested in the nomination there are not a few potentially interesting rivals. There is said to be the liberal senator from Massachusetts, John Kerry - too liberal? Or his Senate leader from South Dakota, Tom Daschle - too interested perhaps in a Senate he may control for some years? Or Senator Evan Bayh from Indiana? Or Dick Gephardt, the Democrats less than inspiring leader in the House?

Perhaps the most interesting possibility is the increasingly mentioned charismatic senator from North Carolina, John Edwards. Young, eloquent, good-looking, with a keen sense of Gore's natural centrist constituency, he is a candidate without baggage whom the Republicans would fear.

Watch this space.

psmyth@irish-times.ie