The American Spectator

p> THE BOYS AND BRAZILE br> While Democrats in Washington doubt that Al Gore can successfully run for president in 2004, he just may think he can. Already, according to former staffers in Washington and Tennessee, Gore is reaching out to former loyalists who will be critical to any future political success. First up, apparently, is former campaign manager Donna Brazile , who’s been out and about, working at the Kennedy School at Harvard and the University of Maryland. “If he’s going to do anything, he’ll need her,” says a former adviser. /p>

More so than perhaps Gore realizes. Much of Gore’s fundraising team has already signed on with 2004 competitors John Kerry of Massachusetts and John Edwards of North Carolina. Gore is said to have sought Brazile out recently during a trip to Washington, D.C. The former campaign manager is known for her aggressive political tactics and her ability to run a tight campaign.

Those who have spoken to Gore say he has been noncommittal about even looking ahead to 2004. “But if he’s talking to people like Brazile, he’s got to be thinking about the future and a run,” says the former adviser. “Even two years out, he wouldn’t be wasting their time if he wasn’t considering some thing.”

p> TWISTING STEEL br> Look for President Bush to take the advice of free-traders Vice President Dick Cheney and Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill as well as the advice of anti-free trade Republican lobbyists in the pocket of American steel manufacturers and announce by Wednesday that he plans to impose very specific and targeted tariffs and quotas on imported steel products. While U.S. steel manufacturers will get some tariff protections, these will be from the far-reaching, tariff heavy deal they were hoping for. “His decision isn’t going to make anyone happy,” says an economic policy adviser. “But it should give him some political breathing room, and give the U.S. steel industry a bit of breathing room. But the message is clear: they have to get their act together.”