The latest Time magazine poll has Al Gore at 41%, right behind Hillary Clinton at 46 percent. (The poll also shows that Clinton remains a polarizing figure–surprise!–among Republicans and a good number of Independents.)

Al Gore has warmed up, (see our cover story last June) and is speaking inconvenient truths to stir a nation to take meaningful action about the global climate crisis.

And in these last years, Gore finally found an authentic voice–one that seemed to elude him for much of his political career. His early and powerful denunciations of the Bush Administration’s war planningand its deceptions, its manipulation of fear, its abuse of power, civil liberties and our constitutional design seem to shift the debate and embolden others to speak out.

But, the question remains–will Gore make a run for the presidency in ’08? With each passing day, it seems less likely he will. But these latest poll numbers–and, yes, any polling this early has to be viewed skeptically–may just lead Al Gore to make the move.