The American Spectator

p> WHY HE QUIT br> Al Gore can say all he wants that his family was the deciding factor in his decision not to run in 2004, but the real reason, say Democratic sources, was money. /p>

Gore’s fundraising had virtually dried up in the past couple of months and, according to these sources, Gore’s strongest backers did not appear to be receptive to another run. “We were hearing that he was telling his longtime supporters about his plans and he wasn’t hearing what he wanted. He wasn’t hearing, ‘Good Al, you go get ‘em.’ That bothered him,” says a former Gore adviser.

Further complicating matters was the failure of his books to catch fire. While the media were receptive to his appearances, which seemingly went well, the lack of sales in the face of the media blitz served to reinforce Gore’s own impression that he just wasn’t getting any traction with his ideas.

“He was also concerned about just the range of issues with a campaign. He’s lost a lot of people to other potential candidates. He didn’t really have an organization in place in New Hampshire while at least three other Democrats seemed to have them standing by,” says a Democratic National Committee staffer. “I think if he looks back, he’s going to see that he shouldn’t have waited until December to make a decision [about running]. He should have sent a clearer message sooner to his people.”

p> A VOTE TRUMPS RESIGNATION br> Republican Senators in Washington and around the country had mixed feelings about the Friday evening press conference by their leader Trent Lott . While some appreciated the effort he put forth to make a verbal amends, others weren’t satisfied. In conference calls during and after the Mississippi address, according to a number of Senate aides, their bosses evaluated their options. /p>