a bit late for regrets, isn't it?
Richard Cohen today gives Al Gore his personal approval and an Oscar for his "second act," that of a former (?) politician. Cohen also admits that when you compare the Al Gore of February 2007 with that of de facto fratboy-in-chief George W. Bush, that maybe just maybe we should have elected HIM President in 2000.
Of course, we did. But never mind that. Cohen ignores the fact that a major reason Gore didn't win going away in 2000 was the savage treatment of Al Gore by the major media, hacks like Maureen Dowd, everybody on Fox News, CNN, New York Times, and the Washington Post -- not to mention Richard Cohen himself.
Savage treatment based on lies. Cohen today even repeats the canards about Gore claiming to have invented the Internet -- GORE DID NOT MAKE THAT CLAIM -- and about Gore claiming to have been the model for the movie "Love Story" -- AGAIN, GORE DID NOT SAY THAT. Don't believe me? Go to The Daily Howler and search for "Gore Cohen" and read some of Cohen's columns from 2000, or even from 2002-03 when Gore was speaking out against Bush's impending invasion of Iraq. They called him crazy, now they realize he was sane.
So Cohen, ask yourself. If yourself and the rest of the major mainstream media had treated Gore honestly in 2000, and hadn't given that dry-drunk Bush a free ride, there's little doubt that Gore would have won the popular vote by an even bigger margin than he did in 2000, and would have been able to overcome poor ballot design and GOP vote suppression tactics in Florida to win that state. Gore would have been President.
Could he have prevented 9/11? Maybe, maybe not -- but he wouldn't have ignored the CIA and State when they were screaming warnings in summer 2001. He would probably have invaded Afghanistan (if 9/11 still happened) which would have been an appropriate response, but would NOT have ignored the necessary war in favor of a trumped up war of choice. Gore of course would have tried to get movement on climate change (although a Republican Congress would probably have blocked much action), would not have ignored New Orleans, wouldn't have taken intellectually dishonest stabs at the Social Security system, and would not have brought the approval ratings of the US in the Middle East to levels below Osama Bin Laden. He also wouldn't have appointed Roberts and Alito to the Supreme Court; we're probably stuck with THEM for 30 years.
So go ahead and give Gore his Oscar for his second act, Cohen and company. But just know it is due to your intellectual dishonesty in 2000 that Gore was winning a real Oscar this week, rather than sitting in the White House instead of that clown Bush.
Of course, we did. But never mind that. Cohen ignores the fact that a major reason Gore didn't win going away in 2000 was the savage treatment of Al Gore by the major media, hacks like Maureen Dowd, everybody on Fox News, CNN, New York Times, and the Washington Post -- not to mention Richard Cohen himself.
Savage treatment based on lies. Cohen today even repeats the canards about Gore claiming to have invented the Internet -- GORE DID NOT MAKE THAT CLAIM -- and about Gore claiming to have been the model for the movie "Love Story" -- AGAIN, GORE DID NOT SAY THAT. Don't believe me? Go to The Daily Howler and search for "Gore Cohen" and read some of Cohen's columns from 2000, or even from 2002-03 when Gore was speaking out against Bush's impending invasion of Iraq. They called him crazy, now they realize he was sane.
So Cohen, ask yourself. If yourself and the rest of the major mainstream media had treated Gore honestly in 2000, and hadn't given that dry-drunk Bush a free ride, there's little doubt that Gore would have won the popular vote by an even bigger margin than he did in 2000, and would have been able to overcome poor ballot design and GOP vote suppression tactics in Florida to win that state. Gore would have been President.
Could he have prevented 9/11? Maybe, maybe not -- but he wouldn't have ignored the CIA and State when they were screaming warnings in summer 2001. He would probably have invaded Afghanistan (if 9/11 still happened) which would have been an appropriate response, but would NOT have ignored the necessary war in favor of a trumped up war of choice. Gore of course would have tried to get movement on climate change (although a Republican Congress would probably have blocked much action), would not have ignored New Orleans, wouldn't have taken intellectually dishonest stabs at the Social Security system, and would not have brought the approval ratings of the US in the Middle East to levels below Osama Bin Laden. He also wouldn't have appointed Roberts and Alito to the Supreme Court; we're probably stuck with THEM for 30 years.
So go ahead and give Gore his Oscar for his second act, Cohen and company. But just know it is due to your intellectual dishonesty in 2000 that Gore was winning a real Oscar this week, rather than sitting in the White House instead of that clown Bush.
Labels: politics
posted by Don Q Blogger at 4:31 AM
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