Below The Beltway

Today, it comes from Cato’s David Boaz:

Endorsing Barack Obama, Al Gore proclaims:
After eight years in which our constitution has been dishonored and disrespected, we need change.
He has a point. But he should have said sixteen years.
Heh

Two weeks after the race for the Democratic nomination ended, former Vice-President Al Gore finally stepped up and endorsed Barack Obama last night:
DETROIT — Former Vice President Al Gore made his debut appearance in the presidential campaign here Monday evening, offering a vigorous endorsement of Senator Barack Obama and urging Democrats to keep in [...]

The national poll averages from October forward:

What it means:
According to the chart, Clinton’s national poll average was basically unchanged between the beginning of October and the middle of May, starting at about 41 percent and ending at about 42 percent. Although Clinton verged on 50 percent of the average poll and dipped to just below [...]

Andrew Sullivan takes his “team of rivals” idea to truly horrifying extremes:
Fantasy Team Of Rivals time: Clinton gets healthcare; Edwards gets poverty; Gore gets the environment; the other Clinton is made secretary of state.
Let’s just start with Clinton, the first one. If there’s any idea worse than making her Vice-President — where she can at [...]

Susan Estrich deconstructs Joe Klein’s ridiculous scenario:
First of all, there are no “elders” in the Democratic Party, at least none who control 100 or more votes. Nancy Pelosi doesn’t control that many votes, not on a vote for the Democratic nomination for president. Neither does Harry Reid. Certainly not Howard Dean. There are no machines, [...]

The London Telegraph reports that unnamed senior Democrats are continuing to mull the fantasy that Al Gore will save the party from having to choose between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama:
Plans for Al Gore to take the Democratic presidential nomination as the saviour of a bitterly divided party are being actively discussed by senior figures [...]

This time it’s Joe Klein at Time Magazine floating the idea of Al Gore stepping in to become the Democratic nominee:
[L]et’s play a little. Let’s say the elders of the Democratic Party decide, when the primaries end, that neither Obama nor Clinton is viable. Let’s also assume—and this may be a real stretch—that such elders [...]

At least one Democratic Congressman seems to think it’s possible:
U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney, whose district includes much of Martin and St. Lucie counties, is hoping he won’t have to attend the Democratic Party national convention in Denver in August.
If he does go, that will mean the Democrats still haven’t decided a nominee for the presidential [...]

Teagan Goddard joins in the blogosphere fantasy that Al Gore could credibly be named the Democratic nominee:
It’s clear that for either Sen. Barack Obama or Sen. Hillary Clinton to win the Democratic presidential nomination, they’ll have to win the majority of superdelegates at the convention. But what if the superdelegates split right down the middle [...]

The New York Times reports that Al Gore and other top Democrats are working behind the scenes to avoid a bruising convention fight:
Former Vice President Al Gore and a number of other senior Democrats plan to remain neutral for now in the presidential race in part to keep open the option to broker a peaceful [...]