Redeemed and Noble

Thrilled? Me? I've been living for this day...so, thrilled is a tame description of my emotional state. The Wingnuts are already out in force, attempting to denigrate the one Hero I have. Will they succeed? Your answer likely depends on how much faith you have in the average American's intelligence.

Not long ago, we undertook an exercise at my workplace. The assignment: name the one person we'd like most to meet and what we'd like to ask him/her. The choices included the usual suspects offered up by a typical crowd of zealous Fundies: Bush, Jesus, an assortment of Biblical icons. I chose Al. I titled it "My Hero" and wrote a short tribute. It was shunned by most, who do not think kindly of Progressives and their longings.

I admire Al more than any other public person. He suffered a horrid public humiliation when the Presidency was ripped from him...and us. And while he took time to tend his wounds, he resurfaced stronger for the experience. In his late 50s, he decided he had work to do, and would damn well do it. He reached into his kishkes to find the one passion that would sustain him: mobilizing others to save this fragile planet. His award today demonstrates what an individual can achieve if they can rise above their darkest hour, their most demoralizing defeat.

What next? A 2008 run? God, I've been fantasizing about this possibility for so long...and today, on the announcement of his prize, I reached the conclusion that it wasn't what I wanted him to do. While we need a President with his gravitas and intellect...national politics, regardless of the nation, is not where guys like Al make their biggest mark. His achievements over the last 6 years would not have been possible if he'd been inside the system. Any system. His strength is his ability to work outside and beyond political agendas. His is a moral and spiritual quest.

Al is a Global asset. I want him to hold everyone else accountable, to forge alliances that go beyond national boundaries, to stimulate innovation and allegiance to a cause bigger than America. His agenda to help save humanity from itself cannot afford to get bogged down in the bullshit of elections.

Don't run Al. We need you far too much to lose you to campaigning. Please. Lead us...all of us...to commit to whatever it takes to leave a healthy planet as your legacy and ours.