I think for much the same reason more prominent Democrats declined to run against President George H. W. Bush so soon after the end of the Gulf War. It is hard to run against a popular wartime president, not to mention the fact there was a certain amount of frustration among fellow Democrats that Al Gore bungled what should have been a coronation in 2000:
In a rematch he would have faced an even tougher Mr Bush whose popularity has been bolstered by the war on terrorism. Current polls would give Mr Bush a 20-point lead over Mr Gore.
Although he was the clear frontrunner for the nomination in recent polls, some Democrats privately expressed relief that the party would now be able to rally behind a new, more charismatic leader. There was a certain amount of anger two years ago that he had managed to lose the election at a time when the economy was booming.
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