An inconvenient truth? Carter urges Gore to run for White House

The last American to win the award, former president Jimmy Carter, said today he would support Al Gore joining the 2008 presidential race after the former vice-president won the Nobel peace prize.

"He's brought to the world's attention the serious problem of global warming and presented it in a beautiful and tenacious way," the former president said.

Mr Carter, who won the award in 2002, told MSNBC: "I'm hoping it may encourage him to consider another political event."

Mr Gore has said repeatedly that he is not running for president, although he has left the possibility just about open. The former vice-president said this summer: "I don't expect to be a candidate again ever."

A Gore declaration for the Democratic nomination - if one were to come - would face the considerable hurdle of overcoming Hillary Clinton's lead in both the polls and fundraising, and her impressive campaign machine.

Circumstances would be more favourable if the Democratic race echoed that of the Republican contest, in which the battle between the candidates is much tighter, with the frontrunners less appealing to the party's voters.

Mr Gore supporters from DraftGore.com this week took out a full-page advert in the New York Times, with an open letter urging him to run.

"Many good and caring candidates are contending for the Democratic nomination," the letter read. "But none of them has the combination of experience, vision, standing in the world and political courage that you would bring to the job. Nor do they have the support among voters that you enjoy and would lead you to victory in 2008.

"Mr vice-president, there are times for politicians and there are times for heroes. America and the Earth need a hero right now."

The Nobel peace prize caps an impressive return to public life for Mr Gore, whose film, An Inconvenient Truth, scooped two Oscars. Following a lacklustre 2000 campaign and his defeat in the Florida courts to George Bush's lawyers, Mr Gore retreated to his native Tennessee, put on weight and developed a line in self-depreciating jokes; announcing himself as the man who "used to be the next president of the United States".

However, the prize could serve to make a presidential run less appealing. The Associated Press reported that the former vice-president's advisers believe the award gives him an international platform to fight global warming and he may not want to do anything to diminish that. The advisers said a 2008 run was "extremely remote".

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