Inconvenient Fit: Al Gore Not Interested in Cabinet Post?

Via Politico comes word that Al Gore, the man who won the popular vote for the presidency in 2000, is not interested in an Obama Administration cabinet post:

When Obama and Joe Biden sit down with Al Gore at noon Tuesday in Chicago, they'll be talking issues--not making the pitch for the former vice-president to return to government service, say transition officials and those close to Gore.

So, forget about seeing Gore as Secretary of the Interior or Energy. Why doesn't Gore want a job with the new team? Well, perhaps he thinks he can be a more effective advocate for the environment as an outsider who still has the ear of the president. Let's face it, Gore has an ambitious agenda when it comes to climate control, and he may not have relished the prospect of being reigned in by a boss who doesn't have the resources to deliver all that Gore would have been pushing.

Obama's focus right now is squarely on job creation. He wants to harness the potential of the green revolution to supply a lot of them, and that's why he's meeting with Gore today. But there may be times when short-term boosting of the labor force means shying away from the most environmentally friendly policies. As a result, there will be times when Obama and Gore don't see eye to eye. By remaining autonomous, Gore won't have to compromise his positions, and can keep applying pressure on the administration. The separation will also allow Gore the time to promote a new movie or two.