[Donna Kelley, Cnn Anchor:] The Bush administration is asking the Supreme Court to uphold an affirmative action program designed to help minority-owned businesses win federal government contracts. Justice Department lawyers filed a legal brief yesterday, defending Transportation Department regulations which offer racial preferences in some instances. The administration defends the constitutionality of the program, saying that it's aimed at redressing the effects of discrimination, and ensuring a level playing field. President Bush and Attorney General John Ashcroft have expressed opposition to affirmative action in the past. Ashcroft stressed that the Supreme Court filing is a defense only of the Transportation Department provisions, and does not address an other affirmative action laws. Former Vice President Al Gore today is making his first foray back into politics since the elections. Gore and former Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander are leading a bipartisan workshop at Vanderbilt University in Nashville for young people interested in politics, but the session is closed to the public. The no-press rule is becoming standard for Gore. Journalists were not allowed to observe classes that he taught this year at universities in New York and Tennessee. And for more now on the big political stories of the week, we go live to Washington. And joining us is CNN political analyst Ron Brownstein. Hi,Ron?
[Ron Brownstein, Cnn Political Analyst:] Hi, Donna.
[Kelley:] Nice to have you join us today, talk about this a little bit. Let's talk about President Bush and his stem cell research decision. Our senior political analyst gave him the play of the week for that, saying that this was compromise that, you know, nobody was real thrilled, but not very angry about either.
[Brownstein:] Well, I think that he did come up with a decision that left him in a very strong position to the way this debate goes from here. As you suggest, it's compromise that neither side is entirely happy about, both people who want to be more restrictive in research and more permissive, but it may leave both unable to reverse him. The conservatives who want to be more restrictive in what the federal government support probably didn't have votes begin with. And after this, they're going to be see some of their allies more reluctant to take on Bush. We saw that in the surprisingly supportive comments of some of the leaders of the religious conservatives. The Democrats may want to push for a more permissive federal approach and more expansive approach towards funding research, but I suspect they're going to find that most of the Republican allies they would actually need to go ahead with that are going to be very reluctant to slap Bush in the face by voting for something that in effect repudiates what he did after he gave them some of what they wanted. So I suspect that both sides are going to have live with this for quite a while.
[Kelley:] And they were saying that it's not political decision. What do you think?
[Brownstein:] Well, I do think that he tried to grapple with many calculations here. But certainly, it does reflect, I think, what we've seen on a number of issues this fall, a certain sense among the Bush team that they have to be begin to reach out and begin broadening their base. He's done very well at holding the support from the people who voted him last year. The polls suggest he's made less progress at converting those who didn't vote for him. And this is one, I think, decision where you can see him beginning to reach out or trying to reach out to that share of the electorate that has not supported him in the past.
[Kelley:] Ron, let's talk about Al Gore. We mentioned him as we were getting into your. Let's talk about that a little bit. We have a couple of polls for to us look at here. CNN"USA Today"Gallup Poll talked to all registered voters and they asked whether or not you want Al Gore to run for president again. And 42 percent said yes they did. 70 percent, if they were Democrats only there as you see. But 42 percent of all of the voter and 51 percent said no. Those are pretty strong numbers, don't you think?
[Brownstein:] Yes, I mean look, this is really all of these numbers and another result in your poll which I think we'll talk about, showing Bush and Gore still at 48, 48. These numbers go together. We still have a very divided electorate. Gore's numbers among Democrats wanting him to run again is pretty good for a guy who's gotten a lot of criticism from party insiders since the election, saying that he, in effect, squandered the strong economy and the good hand that Clinton had left him in many ways. 70 percent saying they want him to run is pretty good.
[Kelley:] Of Democrats.
[Brownstein:] Of Democrats. But on the other hand, it suggests that he hasn't really made lot of progress with anybody else. In the same way that the 48 to 48 number suggested Bush hasn't made a lot of progress. I mean to me, I look at this whole poll and it says not a lot has changed since last election when we had country divided almost exactly in half.
[Kelley:] We have some pictures there of the former Vice President there in Spain. I actually have Gore 49 percent and Bush 48 percent, but we're very close there. And the sampling error is plus or minus four percentage points of the registered voters choice for president between Gore and Bush. Also, they talked about in our same poll, August 3 to 5, about other choices for nominee. And behind Al Gore was at 32 percent was Hillary Clinton at 19 percent. Then we went Bill Bradley, Lieberman, Kerry, Daschle, Edwards and Biden. Who looks strong to you in that line up?
[Brownstein:] Well, I think Hillary Clinton is very unlikely to run. I mean, the last politician who gave as high profile a promise not run during a term was Pete Wilson when he got re-elected governor of California. He turned around two years later and tried to run for president. It was a disaster. None of his donors would contribute. None of his supporters would back him. I think she would end her career if she tried to run in 2004. After that, I think it's relatively thin field. The Democratic field is very top heavy with senators. Senators don't do that well running for president. Only two men have ever gone directly from the U.S. Senate to the presidency, but probably the strongest person in that field would be Joe Lieberman because he has national name ID as Gore's running mate. He's already said though that he won't run against Gore. The field really pivots around Gore. If Gore runs, it's a very different race than if he doesn't. If he doesn't, it's probably wide open.
[Kelley:] And of course, it's super early in the game. Just personal preference, your commentary on the beard? A lot of people are talking about the beard on Al Gore.
[Brownstein:] You know, I think it only goes to prove that all those Democrats who thought that he'd been shipwrecked on a desert island for the last eight months were right. I mean, people are sort of wondering where he was. I don't suspect that we'll see him Iowa, in New Hampshire if he runs again in 2004 with the beard, but the fact that we're talking about it, you know, suggests that part of his problem is that sense among voters not really comfortable with who he is, that we're always seeing new Al Gore, much as there always was new Nixon. And that is an issue for him.
[Kelley:] Yes, well, our other people just saying he's on vacation, you know. Let him have some...
[Brownstein:] Chill out.
[Kelley:] Yes.
[Brownstein:] Let him relax.
[Kelley:] Yes, Ron Brownstein....
[Brownstein:] Let him kick back.
[Kelley:] ...of "The L.A. Times." Thanks. Always nice to have you chat with us. Thank you.
[Brownstein:] Thank you. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com