Al Gore wins Nobel Peace Prize!

CONGRATULATIONS to the greatest statesman in the United States of America!!!!!!!

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded today to Al Gore, the former vice president, and to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for its work to alert the world to the threat of global warming.

The award immediately renewed calls from Mr. Gore’s supporters for him to run for president in 2008, joining an already crowded field of Democrats. Mr. Gore, who lost the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush, has said he is not interested in running but has not flatly rejected the notion.

Mr. Gore “is probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted,” the Nobel citation said, referring to the issue of climate change. The United Nations committee, a network of 2,000 scientists that was organized in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Program, has produced two decades of scientific reports that have “created an ever-broader informed consensus about the connection between human activities and global warming,” the citation said.

Al's full statement:

I am deeply honored to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. This award is even more meaningful because I have the honor of sharing it with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- the world's pre-eminent scientific body devoted to improving our understanding of the climate crisis -- a group whose members have worked tirelessly and selflessly for many years. We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level.

My wife, Tipper, and I will donate 100 percent of the proceeds of the award to the Alliance for Climate Protection, a bipartisan non-profit organization that is devoted to changing public opinion in the U.S. and around the world about the urgency of solving the climate crisis.

If Al would only do us the honor of running, we would be proud to support him in a second campaign for the presidency. Al Gore has more qualifications, experience, and vision than any other candidate in the entire field of Democratic hopefuls.

He saw the folly of invading Iraq years before many in the party did, has worked tirelessly to sound the alarm on the climate crisis, and knows how to tackle the enormous challenges our nation faces - like ensuring that all Americans have healthcare coverage.

Even if Al doesn't run, his legendary reputation and place in the history books is assured. The Nobel Peace Prize is his third major accolade this year alone, following two Academy Awards for An Inconvenient Truth last spring, and an Emmy for CurrentTV.

He also coordinated the Live Earth concerts this summer and released a new bestselling book, The Assault on Reason.

We are ecstatic that Al has been recognized for his efforts to make our world a better place for all humankind. He has truly earned this award.

We could not be prouder of him than we are today.