Tribune editorial staff

Al Gore may have lost a controversial presidential election to George W. Bush in 2000, but he has hung his hat on Howard Dean in an apparent attempt to get his revenge.

Of the nine candidates vying for the Democratic presidential nomination

for the 2004 presidential election, Dean seems to be the front-runner. The former Vermont governor has appeared to have won the hearts of most Democrats and Bush haters. We find it ironic Gore would wait so long to endorse a candidate, much less get behind Dean.

After all, wasn't Joseph Lieberman, another of the Democratic presidential hopefuls, Gore's choice for vice president less than four years ago? It seems he would be the one Gore would want in the White House. However, this is not the case.

Out of loyalty to Gore, Lieberman held off on announcing his candidacy until after Gore decided not to seek the office. This cost Lieberman valuable time as some of the other candidates had already been drumming up support.

How did Gore repay Lieberman for his loyalty? He placed his allegiance with Dean, who he said is the candidate most likely to turn things around for the Democratic party. Gore didn't even give Lieberman the courtesy of an advance warning that he was going to endorse another candidate.

Other candidates, such as Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, stood beside Gore in his run at the White House. Like Lieberman, they have been given the cold shoulder.

Gore has proven he is a fair-weather fan. He is bitter about losing the 2000 election, even though he received the majority of the popular vote, so he jumped on the bandwagon of the man who appears most likely to win the Democratic nomination. This way, he can feel like he had at least a little pull in removing Bush from the White House.

While Gore's clout - particularly with the higher-ups of the Democratic party - will certainly help Dean, it is not a guarantee he will win the presidency or even the Democratic nomination. In fact, Gore's master plan may backfire and explode right in his face.