Political Perceptions: Gore and Obama, Partners at a Distance

Al Gore won’t be on President-elect Barack Obama’s team, but that doesn’t mean his influence won’t be felt. “When Obama and Joe Biden sit down with Al Gore at noon Tuesday in Chicago, they’ll be talking issues — not making the pitch for the former vice-president to return to government service, say transition officials and those close to Gore,” writes Politico’s Jonathan Martin . But he continues: “Even from the outside, though, Gore remains a forceful voice and enjoys a considerable following. That’s why Obama disclosed the event to the public and why he’ll let cameras in to take shots of the three.” Obama’s stimulus package, Martin notes, has distinct Gore fingerprints. “In his radio address Saturday, Obama began detailing the stimulus package he hopes to sign upon taking office and it just so happens to include much of what Gore has been urging for months: That there is a way to marry economic recovery with restoring the environment… It’s this nexus of job creation, energy and the ... (link)