ORLANDO, 11 May — Marking his first return to Florida, the state that caused him to lose presidency, former Vice President Al Gore made news on Wednesday when he spoke to 6,000 members at the Travel Industry of America’s annual conference in Orlando.
Gore began his speech by deadpanning: “I am Al Gore. I used to be the next president of the United States.” [Gore lost the presidency by a few hundred votes in Florida, which he gained according to several recounts. In the tense days that followed, the Supreme Court finally awarded the presidency to George W. Bush.).
“You win some, you lose some,” he said, “and then there’s that interesting third option.” During his 45-minute speech, the former vice president poked fun at his return to everyday life: “Making the transition is not easy. They now let other drivers out on the road when I travel. (pause) It really takes a lot more time to get around.”He reminisced about himself, his family, and said that if he could have done one thing differently during the campaign: “I would have kissed Tipper a lot longer.”
Following his speech to the travel industry, Gore hinted about a possible return. Taking two questions from the floor, he first responded to Florida’s election reform, saying it looked as though “they are doing a good job.”
Gore added, with irony: “I applaud the decision that whenever a vote is in dispute that in the future they will count the ballots by hand.” He did manage a gentle jab at Congress. “Election reform in Congress appears to be stalled. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think that’s what the American people want.”
Gore took the high road when asked to assess President George W. Bush’s first 100 days in office. “After the election was concluded, after an intense 36 days, I decided to help the nation put this behind them and to focus on the future,” he said, which many interpreted as a hint to an eventual return.
