Gore to teach, write book

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Al Gore will spend the next few months teaching and writing while he decides whether to pursue a career in politics.

Columbia University announced Wednesday that the former vice president will teach a graduate-level journalism class "Covering National Affairs in the Information Age" and Gore told The New York Times he also will lecture at two universities in Tennessee, his home state.

He also told the Times he and wife Tipper plan to write a book about families.

"I'm not considering anything political right now, but I haven't ruled out thinking about such things later on," Gore told the Times.

Gore, who lost a White House bid to George W. Bush, will join the Columbia staff as a visiting professor in February and has committed to give six to eight lectures during one semester, and possibly two.