Last night I had the opportunity to hear Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth presentation in person at the Nokia Theatre in Grand Prairie, Texas. Although I've seen the movie, I couldn't wait to actually view the presentation in real time. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the former vice president changed the presentation up a bit from the movies version, adding additional slides as recent as September 30th, the date of his presentation. Just continues to demonstrate how on top of this issue he really is.

As Gore began to wrap his presentation up last night he began talking with a passion I've never heard from him before, even in 2000. He chided the crowd by asking if we all, as a country, have the "political will" to reverse the trends of global warming. Now, there should be no doubt in anyone's mind that not only is global warming a moral issue, but it is also a national security issue too. But Gore's framing of the situation into a moral obligation for elected officials to combat this unnerving trend is impressive, refreshing, and highly ambitious. To also lay the hard work on the shoulders of the people to rise up and collectively challenge their elected officials to take necessary measures to save our planet was also remarkably sobering. It was a real shot in the arm for democracy if you ask me.

In answering Al Gore's question of "do we have the political will to reverse the trends of global warming," I answer him as "yes, we do," with someone of his caliber as our leader in this effort. I think Al is going to run in 2008, and hearing his presentation in person only serves as additional evidence for my hypothesis. There is no politician who is more capable of raising the issue of global warming higher then Al himself. If anything, I believe Gore will likely throw his hat in the ring simply to bring the issue of global warming into the political fray, mostly to bring the issue to a higher sense of attention and urgency. I think though, should he decide to do it, that it will likely resonate with a lot more people then most realize. The electorate is incredibly desperate for a human being, especially a politician, who has a tenacious vision to do something. Whether you agree with the science or not, you have to applaud the man for his vigorous efforts to bring attention to the issue itself.

In further answering Gore's question though, I believe Americans do have the political will to take up this challenge. I believe that we can all start by throwing the bums we have in office right now out on their ass. It is a strong">Link anti-incumbent mentality in every district across the United States, and I believe we'd serve our country well by throwing them all out and bring in a fresh class, with a new approach, and bold ideas to tackle the issues we face today; including global warming.