Red Sky in the Morning and Al Gore Nobel Peace Prize

"Red sky in morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailors delight. "

I thought about this old saying today when I saw the news that former U.S. Vice President Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the environment.

Why?

Well, several years ago I remember the heart breaking presidential race that Al Gore conceded and then had to cast his vote in the senate to essentially declare our current president as the victor.

It was a time of political chaos. Republicans were protesting -- protesting -- in Florida over the hanging chad confusion. Normally, it's the Democrats taking to the streets about voting irregularities. But as I remember it, polo clad kids were raising a ruckuss and everyone was scratching their collective heads in amazement as they watched a Gore victory slipping away.

Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.

The temptest of a storm grew out of Florida and swept across the country. People questioned the very essence of our democracy as the confusion over mis counted votes continued. Lawyers from the four corners of the country and both parties descended on the courts in Florida. Time to count the votes was ticking away. Many people anxiously waited and looked to the Supreme Court for a miracle to set things right. They didn't. They couldn't meet the expectations of every American voter. And there was deep dissappointment in the electoriate. Democrates felt cheated. Republicans walked away with a tarnished victory.

In the end, Al Gore did one final, grim duty as vice president and affirmed his loss from the chamber of the U.S. Senate.

That had to be hard for him.

So what happened next? Well, Mr. Gore grew a beard and left Washington. Next thing you know, our former vice president and defeated presidential candidate was front and center in the media again. This time he was doing his duty as a citizen of the world rising to prick the conscienous of a global community.

Red sky at night, sailors' delight.

Al Gore was everywhere on tv, in the press, on the big screen. He was not defeated. He was not beaten. He was up and he was moving like a man on fire. And his message spread. People listened. People watched. People understood.

And now the world has validated him in a way that no election could ever do. He has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work -- not as a senator, not as a vice president.

But as Al Gore, the man.

We could all take a lesson from Mr. Gore on this one.

The red sky in the morning of a difficult time in our lives does not have to mean that our ship is going to sink. As Mr. Gore has shown with his own post political life, keep at it and we will all find our red sky at night to our own delight.

Congradulations Mr. Gore.

Well done.