To be elected president, Al Gore needs the economy and the markets firing on all cylinders. Al Gore needs voters and consumers happy and satisfied.

If the Fed continues to raise interest rates, it puts a damper on the spirits of voters and consumers and that is bad news for Al Gore.

The Gore campaign has got to be worried.

He may prove to be totally innocent, but this is a negative — a big distraction — for his presidential ambitions and management of the Senate.