Paper: Gore campaign team assembling in shadows
 Secretly in the shadows, a Gore 2008 campaign team is being assembled, according to a British newspaper's report.
"Friends of Al Gore have secretly started assembling a campaign team in preparation for the former American vice-president to make a fresh bid for the White House," Tim Shipman writes in Sunday's Telegraph, adding that two staff members from Gore's 2000 campaign, which ended when the Supreme Court put an end to Florida's recounting attempts, "say they have been approached to see if they would be available to work with him again."
Adding intrigue, Shipman continues, "But, aware that he may step into the wide open race for the White House, former strategists are sounding out a shadow team that could run his campaign at short notice. In approaching former campaign staff, including political strategists and communications officials, they are making clear they are not acting on formal instructions from Mr Gore, 59, but have not been asked to stop."
"I was asked whether I would be available towards the end of the year if I am needed," one strategist tells the paper. "They know he has not ruled out running and if he decides to jump in, he will have to move very fast. He hasn't asked them to do this, but nor has he told them not to."
In the last few days, both former President Bill Clinton and political strategist James Carville have speculated that Gore would end up entering the crowded field.
On Thursday, Clinton told Larry King on CNN, "You have got the prospect that Vice President Gore might run," and, Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr refers to a speech Carville gave at Tulane University in New Orleans earlier this week: "Al Gore will run, he said, citing George Will’s observation that running for president is like sex: 'You don’t do it once and forget about it.'"
Excerpts from Telegraph article:
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The most recent opinion polls show Mr Gore as third favourite to take the Democratic nomination, on about 17 per cent support, only a whisker behind Barack Obama, 45, who is aiming to become the first black US president, and ahead of John Edwards, 53, the senator whose wife was recently diagnosed with cancer.
Vice-President Gore's allies believe that Hillary Clinton, 59, the frontrunner, is unable to win the presidency. The most recent poll shows a growing number of voters think negatively of her, in contrast to Mr Gore, who enjoys far greater popularity than when he lost the 2000 presidential race despite polling more votes nationally than the eventual winner, George W Bush.
The second aide approached by Vice-President Gore's allies said: "There is no love lost between Gore and Hillary. They don't think she can win and they're probably right. If Gore runs, he's got a really good chance of getting the nomination. And he has a good chance of pulling off the election, too."
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FULL TELEGRAPH ARTICLE CAN BE READ AT THIS LINK
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