Gore’s latest makeover was accomplished without consultants and, therefore, friends say, should come across as authentic. “He feels good about where he is intellectually and personally. His head is in the right place,” says a former aide. The new Gore is a man of big ideas, an abstract and conceptual thinker who isn’t hemmed in by conventional political thought, hence his venture into the treacherous issue of national health care. Former president Bill Clinton has been privately saying for months that if Gore runs, he has a 60 percent chance of winning the nomination. A Gore adviser puts the odds at two in three. “He is definitely the prohibitive favorite.” Gore has made a point of releasing his former running mate, Joe Lieberman, from his pledge not to run if Gore does. “You don’t want to look like you’re holding someone hostage,” an adviser tells NEWSWEEK. Gore says he may pick Hillary. That’s unlikely, but the Clintons would be happy with Gore in 2004. If he loses, he would clear the way for her in 2008.
With terrorism and security issues dominant, Gore’s supporters say he’s the only Democrat who can convey confidence as a commander in chief. Backers of Sen. John Kerry, a Vietnam vet and another potential candidate, would dispute that. But Gore’s people think his experience as vice president will be an asset in 2004 in a way that it wasn’t in 2000, when foreign policy was not a top concern and Gore was overshadowed by Bill Clinton. Gore has no formal organization in place, and has raised very little money. “The elites don’t want him to run again, but primary voters feel personally cheated and want him to run again,” says an adviser. The early contests are full of quicksand. “His candidacy can’t stumble,” says a Democratic consultant. “If you’re perceived as the front runner and you stumble early, there is no later.” Gore’s friends concede the political terrain is a lot steeper than it was in 2000. “It doesn’t look good for any Democrat,” says one. “Why would he do it? This is his last shot and–long shot as it is–if he wants to be president, this is it.”
