Al Gore was defeated for the Presidency by the Supreme Court in 2000. He went on to work tirelessly to raise awareness of climate change around the world and was awarded a Nobel Prize for his trouble.
John Kerry returned to the Senate after losing his bid for the Presidency in 2004, became Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and shepherded the New START treaty through the Senate in 2010.
John McCain returned to the Senate after he was defeated in the Presidential election of 2008 by Barack Obama. He became increasingly strident in his opposition to all things Democratic; he voted against the DREAM Act, a bill he'd originally co-sponsored, and he became a strong supporter of his home state's anti-immigrant policy in the form of Arizona SB 1070, despite his previous efforts on behalf of comprehensive immigration reform. He watched silently as the Supreme Court reversed his signature piece of legislation, the McCain-Feingold Campaign Reform Act. He actively and bitterly fought against repeal of the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy toward gays in the military in 2010.
Messrs. Gore and Kerry managed to get over the sting of defeat and go on to distinguish themselves in the public policy arena, while Senator McCain has become increasingly angry and bitter. It's an interesting character study.
Posted by Linkmeister at January 5, 2011 11:18 AM | TrackBack