From Adviser to President?

So, Al Gore is now a special adviser for Gordon Brown? Bit of a comedown for the man who was, for eight years, a heartbeat away from being the most powerful man in the world. There are a number of different ways to view this, two of the most amusing takes being this and this.

But to me is seems fairly obvious what is behind all this. Gore has raised his media profile through releasing his film, now he is rebuilding his political profile by becoming an adviser for Gordo. He's preparing to run for President again, as far as I can see. He has spent the past seven years checking off all the boxes he needs to run in 2008 - he conceded the election in 2000 even though he won the popular vote and could well have won a recount, he was relatively supportive of the Iraq War initially, he avoided running again in 2004, he has released a film dealing with typically Democrat concerns and now he is advising the would-be British Prime Minister on the environment. And above all, he has claimed that he is not going to run again. And let's be honest, when a politician claims he or she is not going to do something it almost always means they are going to do it.

The only question that remains is exactly when Gore drops the facade and announces his candidacy.