No Obama-Gore ticket

[Adrienne]

No Obama-Gore ticket
Posted: 10:02 AM ET

From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
 


Gore has ruled out being Obama's running mate.
 
(CNN) — Eight years in the No. 2 spot is enough for Al Gore.
The former vice president, who issued a challenge to the next President of the United States on Thursday to make the country's electricity output carbon-free in 10 years, said later that he will not under any circumstances serve as Barack Obama's running mate.
Unlike the office of the presidency, there are no imposed term-limits on the second highest office in the land. But Gore, who considerably expanded the role of vice president, said he's imposing his own term limits on the job.
“I have a personal term limit,” he told CBS News Thursday. “Only two terms as VP.”
Asked by interviewer Katie Couric whether he might reconsider if the Democratic presidential candidate "begged," Gore said his answer would remain no.
Buzz swirled around a possible Obama-Gore ticket last month after the former vice president — who remains a very popular figure in the Democratic Party — gave an enthusiastic endorsement of the Illinois senator after months on sidelines during the prolonged Democratic primary.
Obama said then he doubted Gore would be willing to serve as VP again.
“Obviously Al Gore is a great public servant, he was a great vice president," he said. He may not want to be vice president again, since he's already done that for eight years, but certainly he's somebody that I'll be getting advice from as we go forward and hopefully he'll help me when I'm president."
Gore said in December that he might jump back into the political fray – but only in a bid for the top spot. A third term as vice president would mean Gore had spent more time in the office than anyone in U.S. history.
Filed under: Barack Obama

[Adrienne]

McCain, Obama praise Gore
Posted: 04:45 PM ET

From CNN's Emily Sherman
 


McCain and Obama praised Gore Thursday for his climate change initiative.
 
(CNN)– Both parties' presumptive nominees praised former Vice President Al Gore as he challenged the nation Thursday to transition completely to renewable and carbon-free energy within the next decade — but parted ways on some of Gore's recommendations.
"For decades, Al Gore has challenged the skeptics in Washington on climate change and awakened the conscience of a nation to the urgency of this threat," Obama said in a statement Thursday.
Obama's environmental proposals mimic many of Gore's own: he would implement an economy-wide cap-and trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and plans to make the United States a leader in the global effort to combat climate change.
But John McCain reminded reporters he and Gore hold very divergent views on the use of at least one renewable energy source.
"I've admired the Vice President on this issue," McCain said Thursday. There may be some aspects of climate change that he and I are in disagreement on but overall — I mean, I've always been a supporter of nuclear power and he has not agreed with that."
The Arizona senator co-sponsored cap-and-trade legislation introduced last year — but has criticized later versions of the bill for failing to include further incentives for nuclear power, saying the nation would not make progress in ending global warming unless nuclear energy was greatly expanded.
McCain also continued to contrast his environmental policy with Obama's.
"Let me just say again, Sen. Obama, no storage and no reprocess. And that's nuclear power. No drilling offshore. That's a way of finding oil and gas reserves. Dr. No," McCain said.
Filed under: Al Gore • Barack Obama • John McCain