Letters to the Editor
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Grieve on Gore
Give us a break Tom. Finally someone is calling it like it really is and you have some inane 'electoral politics vs. environmental issues' critique to offer? When anyone of Gore's status on the world stage speaks such clear truth the appropriate response is " YA-FUCKING-WHO!!!". Get a grip.
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Ah, yes, the stalking horse
Remember 2003, when everyone just "knew" that such-and-such a candidate was really just a "stalking horse" for Hillary Clinton, who was going to swoop in at the last minute and become the Democratic candidate for President? Remember how every talking head on every show had to mention that at least once every night, month after month?
Remember how it was all bullshit?
Now, we're hearing about how Al Gore is going to run in '08. He keeps saying he's not, but boy-oh-boy is he gonna run! Just you wait! Every talking head says so, and you can always trust them, right?
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The Truth
When asked a political question, Al Gore told the truth. What's so hard to grasp about that?
If he had wanted to make a political answer, it would have been vastly different, something along the lines of, "The American people can look at my positions and make up their own mind about whether I've changed."
Instead, he told the direct, honest truth--we're run by a group of right-wing extremists.
It's a sad day when the politics-watchers can't distinguish between the truth and playing politics.
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What BS
This little swipe illustrates exactly why Gore should never even consider running again.
Where in his statement about the renegade right does he suggest he is running? Are you going to read messages about a possible campaign into everything he utters, even as he says he isn't thinking about that now?
The same people who routinely take priznat at his word, despite lie after lie, cannot fathom believing Gore. Even the left cannot resist trying to read Gore's mind instead of listening to what he actually says.
A commenter at Carpetbagger yesterday suggested that Gore should give the entire country a big, Cheneyesque, "Go F&%$ Yourselves." If we all do not deserve it, there can be no doubt that the entire press corps do.
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Typical Democrat Over-Thinking
The walk on eggshells approach ot politics Tim suggests is exactly why the Dems have lost and will continue to lose.
It is exactly why the Democrats will lose votes in November for their protestations of the Habitha debacle instead of being able to point out the danger their opponents put us in for their gross incompetence and ineptitude.
The Dems are typically unable to frame an arguement; Even ones THEY bring up. They take such a chicken shit walk-on-eggshells approach that they end up looking worse than the people they were attempting to condemn via their own arguement.
This is a good example of the pervasiveness of that mentality.
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Give me a break, Timmy!
Much ado about nothing. I usually find your posts rather intriguing, but this one is off the mark. Why should Gore not say something political when asked? It was a legitimate question for a former VP and Presidential candidate (& winner). A person can be multi-faceted and address a variety of issues. You can come up with something better than this topic (it isn't even worthy of being called an issue).
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Let the man speak!
I do not understand what you are implying with this critique of Gore, as if every word from his mouth ought to be considerate to the poor embattled punditocracy tripping over themselves to predict accurately the likelyhood of a Gore run in 2008. Is that what you're saying???
I believe this kind of over-analysis does no one any good. When the hell was anyone better off when public figures with an important and appropriate politcial message are "advised" to play it coy and quiet??? For who's benefit??? Political analyists who want to interpret every utterance in the single context of presdiential candidacy are not gonna get a whole lot of sympathy from me....especially in May 2006. Not when we need as many people as possible with of a microphone in their face calling this Administration the right wing extremists they most certainly are!
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Is honesty political?
Frankly, the only way Gore can avoid being picked apart with pundit's political divinations is by saying nothing at all. He has implied that he has no intention to run in the current political climate; if this is true, what would people have him say?
As for whether it's a good idea for him to spread his message about climate change while also calling Bush and extremist, I would ask, how else would you do it? If Gore believes what he says, failing to brand Bush in this honest way would be "political."
(By the way, only Brits and liberal Americans read the Guardian.)
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Oh, cut it out
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Stop Being Ridiculous
Why is Salon falling into the MSM syndrome of "Are you running or aren't you?" as if that is the only question of interest to the public?
I personally hope he does run, because in the words of William Dean Howells to Edith Wharton: "What the American public always wants is a tragedy with a happy ending."
:D
But what's far more relevant now are the fresh ideas, energy and policies he brings to the national discussion. The MSM always focuses on the horse race, much to the nation's detriment. Watching the tennis ball bounce back and forth is a perfectly enjoyable if mindless pursuit, but it distracts everyone from the real story - the crooks quietly going through the crowd picking everyone's pockets.
So, in what is my first plaint to Salon, please avoid this trap like the plague. It's beneath the War Room which is so good at pointing out the essential, not the sideshow.
Al Gore will tell the country if he decides he wants to run for President again. In the meantime, who else is bringing new ideas, money and invigorated spirits to the Democratic Party? Mark Warner Who? I don't think so. Hillary?
Let's for once focus on the ideas, not the horse race. We might actually get the kind of President the world's most powerful nation deserves (and the rest of the world needs it to have.)