Obama and Gore

President elect Obama is set to meet with former vice-president and environmental advocate Al Gore leading to speculation that Gore may be receiving a position in the new administration. While democratic officials and spokesmen for Gore say Obama is not looking to give Gore a position, and Gore has no interest in a position, the highlighted meeting in Chicago is an interesting situation. Liberals in the wing have been critical of Obama's cabinet selections which include no liberals, a secretary of state who voted for use of force in the Iraq war, and Robert Gates, defenses secretary of the Bush administration being kept on by Obama. In addition, Obama's liberal supporters have raised questions and voiced concerns regarding the President-elects reversal on the immediate repeal of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, opting to letting them expire at the end 2010 and shift of position from immediate withdrawal from Iraq on his first day in office to a more gradual withdrawal. Gore has made millions and became extremely popular since his Vice-President days and would provide a political celebrity within the administration. Perhaps too big of a shadow for Obama to stomach. The a hilarious, yet interesting note being a statement made by a "close friend" of Gore's said that he "would not burn that much carbon to fly to Chicago just to talk."