As each day passes, the United States' favorite pastime continues to build a firm grip on the influential minds of potential voters. I'm talking, of course, about speculation. What would a presidential election be without literally years of speculation building up to it? Probably a good election. Well, we all know that's never going to happen, and so to fight fire with fire, I want to add to the questioning of every angle within the federal election system by speculating on how Democrats can finally win the presidency. As much as it may hurt to say, Al Gore is their best shot.

So why won't Obama, Hilary or John be able to do what Gore can for the Democrats? One word: timing. He's been quiet thus far in the process, but right now, that may be the smartest move. The election is two years away, and candidates are already turning themselves into bumbling idiots, and the media is right there to lap it all up. While Gore quietly waits in the shadows, ready to jump in, Hilary, Barack and John are on tour opening themselves up to criticism that could follow them all the way out of D.C. Eagerness may prove to be their downfall. Why get caught up in all the hearsay and rumors that have defined American politics? Gore has the name recognition to wait this all out until people want to make up their minds. The horse races taking place now portray these candidates as nothing but puppets wanting to please as many demographics as possible. Not to mention the mass media loves to expose a fake, and by getting into the race now, every candidate is risking his or her own credibility.

Timing isn't everything, however, and Gore has the qualifications to become the Democrats' wisest choice. If you think all the way back to when Iraq became an issue, Gore was right about a lot of things that no one else was. Hillary's Senate voting record is an easy reminder of this — voting yes on the initial Iraq decision. Obama barely has a voting record, and that may be seen as inexperience to many voters. It's clear Gore knew what we should have done, and hopefully knows what to do now.

Looking at what Gore has done with his political career, it's hard to argue that he wouldn't be a fitting president. To begin, he was the vice president for eight years in one of the most successful administrations in history. He was a member of both the House and Senate for multiple terms, and if Jeb Bush weren't governor of Florida, he would be president today.

Even with all that to fall back on, Gore has got more. Recently, he won an Oscar for his documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth." With the environment continually becoming a larger issue in politics, Gore has got the credibility to be viewed as the "Green" candidate; something no other candidate can claim. And to add even more, Gore has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work concerning the environment.

When Gore finally does enter the race, he is going to be able to say he knew how we should have done it all, and now everyone can make the right choice (again). As a long-time, accredited and influential member of United States government, Gore has got the edge on all of the competition, and not just the Democrats. Time will prove that Gore is not only the smartest choice for the Democrats, but the entire United States as well. Maybe, "I Told You So," will become the most powerful slogan in all of politics.

Ben Patterson ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in political science.