With the announcement due tomorrow of who will win the Nobel Peace Prize, the speculation is rampant on whether Al Gore will be the winner and whether he will jump into the ‘08 presidential race if he is. 

CNN asks, “Will Al Gore add a Nobel Peace Prize to his Oscar and Emmy honors?”

On Friday, Gore finds out if he’s the winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

Although the secretive five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee does not disclose names of its award nominees, it’s been widely reported that Gore is up for the prize.

Here in the U.S., Al Gore is “very much a wanted man.”

A group of Democrats is urging the former vice president to jump into the race for the White House.

Gore, however, has said over and over and over this year that he doesn’t “have any plans to be a candidate again.”

But draftgore.com apparently isn’t listening and hopes to change Gore’s mind. The organization, which describes itself as a group of grassroots Democrats, took out a full-page ad in Wednesday’s New York Times. [ Watch more on the movement to draft Gore »]

Their open letter in the newspaper urges the 2000 Democratic presidential nominee to enter the 2008 race for the White House, saying “your country needs you now, as do your party, and the planet you are fighting so hard to save.”

The letter goes on to say that “America and the Earth need a hero right now, someone who will transcend politics as usual and bring real hope to our country and to the world.”

The ad also states that 136,000 people have signed Draft Gore’s online petition. Eva Ritchey, from the Draft Gore campaign, said the signatures are coming in by the thousands. She also said the group will start a radio campaign in Florida.

Gore spokeswoman Kalee Kreider said that the former vice president “truly appreciates the heartfelt sentiment behind the ad, however, he has no intention of running for president.”

Brent Budowsky write in The Hill today:

As these words are written the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize has been chosen but not yet announced and for purposes of the future of America the great and inconvenient truth is that this does not matter.

America does not need another prize, we need another president.

Americans deserve a president who aspires not merely to wield power but to use the office of the presidency as the center of action to lift our land to the greatness that was bestowed to us by Americans who came before us.

My hope is that Al Gore is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He deserves it, and it would be a great moment for America and a great statement about the future of the earth.

Budowsky’s piece is very moving and should be read in full. We’ll all know tomorrow what fate holds in store for Al Gore with the Nobel Peace Prize and I’m with everyone else who hopes he’ll be bringing home the prize. And, as much I would like to see Al Gore jump into the ‘08 race, I’m dubious that he will. I think Al Gore has found his passion and the Nobel won’t change that. I could be wrong and if I am, the ‘08 race will certainly shift dramatically. Dan Balz chimes in on the hype here.

Related Posts:

• Will Al Gore be Awarded the Nobel?
• Even More Al Gore Speculation - UPDATED

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