Gore: Bush's Iraq war push makes world more dangerous

Al Gore harshly criticized President Bush's push for war against Iraq, saying it has hurt the United States' standing and could dangerously undermine the rule of law around the globe.

"After Sept. 11, we had enormous sympathy, goodwill and support around the world," Gore said Monday. "We've squandered that, and in one year we've replaced that with fear, anxiety and uncertainty, not at what the terrorists are going to do but at what we are going to do."

In his first major speech on the Iraq situation, the once and possibly future Democratic presidential candidate accused Bush of abandoning the goal of a world where nations follow laws.

"That concept would be displaced by the notion that there is no law but the discretion of the president of the United States," he said.

"If other nations assert the same right, then the rule of law will quickly be replaced by the reign of fear," and any nation that perceives itself threatened would feel justified in starting wars, he said.

Gore also told the enthusiastic crowd at the Commonwealth Club of California he would decide in December whether to challenge Bush again for the presidency in 2004.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said called Gore's speech "a bold step in the right direction" toward giving the country a platform upon which to discuss alternatives and options.

"At least in the fight against al-Qaida there is a world coalition. Bush's obsession with confronting Iraq unilaterally isolates our country and undercuts the coalition," Jackson said. "It is a real diversion from the present terror threat coming at us and a real diversion from the economic crisis."

Gore described his speech as an effort to lay out an alternative to the course of action pursued by the Bush administration.