5/29 Is he going to run?

July 12, 2007
Takako Iwatani, American General Bureau of the Asahi Shimbun, Washington, D.C.

On May 29, former Vice President Al Gore spoke about his new book, "The Assault on Reason" at the George Washington University. Since there was a possibility that he was going to run for the presidential election, the correspondent who covers the race and I went to hear Gore, expecting he might say something about his candidacy.

The hall was packed. Many supporters along with the national and foreign press were there. Video cameras and cameramen took positions, and everyone was ready for Gore to appear.

After a short introduction, Al Gore appeared on the stage. The audience was excited. He spoke, moving from one side to the other side on the stage. And he never forgot to pose in front of the many cameras, even when he kept speaking so that his perfect pictures were on the Web and newspapers. He spoke clearly and talked about his book briefly. The audience often cheered and clapped.

After Gore spoke, the audience had a chance to ask questions. However, because the questions were collected in advance, the audience couldn't ask direct questions. Al Gore answered them innocuously.

Suddenly, a woman stood up and said, "I guess we don't have a chance to ask questions, so I'm just going to ask." Then she started ask a question. But, the woman moderating on the stage shuttered the question and asked the woman to sit down. Al Gore didn't answer the question, either.

At that moment, I felt slight disappointment because this was not the American democracy that I had imagined. But, another surprising thing happened right after that.

Another man stood and started to shout. I think he said, "Why do you hesitate to run if you believe what you believe?" I think he said that kind of thing, but I am not sure because his voice was drowned out by booing from other audience members.

People were shouting "shut up!" and "sit down!" Everyone was defending Al Gore. I was not sure if the man was a Gore supporter or not until others in the audience started shouting him down. The hall was in chaos for a moment. The man was escorted to outside by a guard. Finally, order was restored. Al Gore was silent the entire time.

After the event, I was sitting on the bench and listening to what people were saying about the event. I heard someone say that listening to the speech was easier to understand than reading the book. Someone else wondered if Al Gore was running for the presidency or not. Many people wore buttons saying "Al Gore for 2008," while anti-Gore groups stood beside them.

For me, Al Gore seems to be waiting for the best time to announce his candidacy. His actions look as if they are a careful lead-up for the race. I am left to wonder WHEN he is going to run.

Now, I think the situation has changed. Last week, Al Gore' s son was arrested for possession for drugs right before the "Live Earth" concert that would be Gore's big appeal to this country. In Japan, this kind of scandal kills political careers. So, I don't know if this same theory works in the U.S., but I think his chances of running for the presidency have now declined.

Now, I am left to wonder if Gore WAS going to run but there is no way to know at this moment in time.

My names is Takako Iwatani. I am from Japan and I am a junior news-editorial major in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I am interning at the American general bureau of the Asahi Shimbun in Washington, D.C. The Asahi Shimbun is one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan with a circulation of about 8.3 million. At this bureau, Japanese reporters and American reporters help each other as they cover major news stories in the U.S. for Japanese readers. I am so excited to see and learn how they work together. Email Me , View All Takako's Entries