(2004-05-28) -- Former Vice President Al Gore, who has become a gracious, respected statesman since George Bush usurped his presidency in 2000, today said he has offered the Bush administration a "sensible proposal to bring peace with dignity to Iraq."

In the dignified manner that has become the hallmark of his public utterances, Mr. Gore urged all Americans to "rally behind the president’s efforts to bring freedom and democracy to Iraq."

"We never want to say anything that would cause our enemies to question our resolve," said the itinerant professor. "I have quietly offered my ideas to the president, confidentially through the appropriate channels, and I trust that they will receive serious consideration."

Mr. Gore urged his Democrat colleagues in the Congress and elsewhere to "avoid the temptation to self-aggrandizement or political advantage through brash public criticism of this administration. We are, first of all, Americans. E pluribus unum."