Al Gore denies planning an ’08 presidential bid

updated 9:05 a.m. ET March 21, 2006

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Former Vice President Al Gore said Monday he’s not planning to run for president in 2008 but hasn’t ruled out a future in politics.

“I’m enjoying what I’m doing,” Gore told an audience at Middle Tennessee State University, where he gave a lecture on global warming, one in a series.

“I’m not planning to be a candidate again. I haven’t reached a stage in my life where I’m willing to say I will never consider something like this,” he said. “But I’m not saying that to be coy; I’m just saying that to be honest — that I haven’t reached that point.”

Gore, a Democrat, lost the electoral vote to George W. Bush in 2000 in one of the closest presidential elections in history. Some Democrats still keep him in mind for another presidential run, according to several early polls on potential candidates.

Since his loss, Gore, who turns 58 next week, has occasionally delivered speeches on global warming and other political issues, often criticizing Bush policies.

He also co-founded a television network, Current TV, which started in August and mostly features documentaries by young filmmakers.

“An Inconvenient Truth,” a documentary on Gore’s global warming awareness campaign, premiered this year.

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