I Heart Al

I took a break to watch the Oscars, pretty much just to see Al Gore. Although Gore is the new "it" guy, I've always loved him. Maybe because we both lost Presidential races in 2000. Anyway, I'm just glad that everyone realizes how great he is, even the Academy.

Reasons why Al Gore is one of my heroes...and what we can learn from him:

1. He got right back up again. We all know the heartache of dealing with a tough loss; could you imagine what it is like to being so close to President? But Al proves that after a hard fall, you can get back up again and do even more amazing work.

2. He uses his celebrity for good. If our country is going to be obsessed with celebrities, celebrities should use their fame for good (or at the very least, don't be bad role models.)

3. He is passionate about a cause. Everyone had kind of heard about global warming before, but I think Al Gore's efforts really brought it to the forefront. Even when it seemed like no one else cared before, he kept working. I for one think it's a really important cause, and even if you think that there are more pressing issues, you have to be at least grateful that the focus is on something other than a wedge issue (ie: gay marriage).

4. He reaches the masses. Before class today, some girls were debating about whether people would take Gore seriously as a candidate now that he's been at the Grammys and Oscars. Say what you will about liberal Hollywood or just people in entertainment in general, entertainment reaches millions if not billions of people. And if you can get your word out through making a documentary or making a speech at awards show, I have far more respect for you than most politicians. Imagine if we spent more time educating the common man about important issues.

5. He doesn't take himself too seriously. He introduces himself as the "former next President of the United States." He parodies himself on SNL. He makes jokes at the Oscars. He embraces the fact that everyone thinks (or thought) that he was boring. In a time when far too many politicians, and people in general, take themselves and life too seriously, I think we have to remember to be like Al.

I can't fault him if he doesn't want to run for President again, but if he did I would jump onto his campaign in a heartbeat. Gore '08!