Like Kate, I really don't understand this idea that if Al Gore wins the Nobel Prize he'll become somehow likelier to jump into the race for the presidency. Trying to leverage the Nobel Prize to mount a last minute run for the nomination would basically cancel the thing out -- Gore would lose his status as a crusader and be demoted back down to candidate. Worse, he'd lose. Primaries aren't just hype. You need organization to win. Endorsements matter, as do unions, the AARP, personal connections with Iowans, a media strategy, conscious cultivation of editorial boards, etc, etc. Gore has none of the things. He would lose the primary. And, in doing, he would sacrifice everything he's built. Moreover, he would move from being a force the other candidates wanted on their side -- and whose advice they'd thus take in order to gain his favor -- and become a competitor who they had to run against. That would mean attacking his climate change plans as too extreme, economically disruptive, etc. It would be a disaster. --Ezra Klein
