We all know the guy. He's right under our noses. And he can do it all:
Resuscitate the trampled American myth.
Stand it up on its wobbly legs and slap its face 'til its eyes clear.
Be its avatar.
Rip the steering wheel from the white knuckled claws that have seized control and, guided by the People's will, and by Truth and Right, pilot America back to its rightful course.
Ensure that America's legacy will fulfill its promise.
No less than that.
Because it takes a human. It takes a person who has learned the lessons the hard way and comes back from defeat to apply them. It takes a person of true spirit and real---not manufactured--guts. It takes a shrewd politician who also remembers that he/she is made of flesh and bone and only inhabits this life for the wink of an eye.
It takes Al Gore.
Yep. The prig. The sidekick to Mr. Charisma. He of the amusingly stiff countenance. He of the discomfort-inducing tongue kiss. He of the scraggly beard and wild-eyes, emerging from the wilderness where he watched the skirmishes and waited. The chastened boy wonder hoisting high his placard reading "The Tide is Getting Higher!".
Oscar nominee.
Nobel nominee.
Democratic nominee.
The wait's over. It's time, alright. Time for the biblical moment. The Marvel Comics moment. The authentic, immediate American moment. He comes back. The real comeback kid, come to do the real work of a real leader: to elevate the consciousness of the people, to give them hope, to lead with humility and strength and wisdom.
But don't step into the fray just yet. Lots more has to happen. Let it play out. Let the People's eyes gaze a little longer upon the epic cravenness of the current administration. Let the People's hunger burn. Because the People have to learn their lesson the way he did. We are a lumbering, inertial mass when it comes to realization but it can, it must be done. Look around. See the signs. The tide is getting higher! It's easy. We just need a hero. Al Gore.
Save us. Save the world.