GRAPEVINE

By DAVID ELLIS

Al Gore has plans to dawdle in Cleveland, which has Democratic insiders buzzing that he's moving closer to a presidential bid. When the Democratic Leadership Council convenes in the city May 5-7, most would-be candidates will simply drop in for a few hours of standard speechifying, handshaking and smiley-faced photo ops. The Tennessee Senator aims to spend two full days at the confab, energetically schmoozing with rich donors and story-starved journalists. His game plan: remind fellow party members that he voted for war with Iraq, and deliver a pithy speech on nascent campaign issues.

With reporting by Sidney Urquhart