Gore's better than that, but also to add to your list is our very own governor when he ran for president a few times.
Ah Governor Moonbeam. Yeah forgot about him. I really like him alot. Although he has vetoed some legislation I really wanted...he has apparently hardened in his old age.
Gore has his good qualities, he is good on the environment and so on... I just mean that Bush was so bad that basically anyone from the other ticket would have been better.
As far as why I don't admire him, I don't admire Gore for the same reasons I don't admire Clinton. They are big money centrists who successfully shifted the democratic party way to the center in the late 80's and 90's. This shift was intentional and planned in the wake of Dukakis and Mondale... who I should add to my list! This "new" democratic party that chases big wall street money and champions pro big business reforms was instrumental (under Clinton) in eliminating a slew of financial regulations and social safety nets and other treaties and laws that are in many ways antithetical to the "old" democratic party. You might have seen it already but this very long and excellent article explains the history very well, from my sad, lonely left-wing progressive perspective.
I suppose it is debatable whether I should just accept this deal with the devil as the only way to beat the GOP in the modern era, but it just doesn't sit well with me. You can draw a straight line from my grumbling and grudging acceptance of Clinton in the 90's to my very similar grudging and grumbling votes (and campaigning in swing states) for Obama in the modern day.