Joe Conason (Salon): Gore's Epiphany (on Gore endorsing Dean)

[Dudley_DUright]

Although Al Gore's impending endorsement of Howard Dean must be disturbing news for all of the front-runner's rivals, it will strike most sharply at Joe Lieberman. John Kerry also badly wanted and needed the endorsement of Gore, who nearly selected the Massachusetts senator as his running mate in 2000.

Tomorrow, someone will probably ask Gore why he assured the nation three years ago that Lieberman was the Democrat best qualified to serve in the Oval Office should any exigency befall President Gore -- but is today less worthy of voter support than the former governor of Vermont.

If the former vice president were to answer candidly, he might admit that his own politics have shifted since 2000, when the experience of losing the presidency he had won seems to have changed him radically. The most obvious evidence of this change during the past year came in his powerful speeches against the war in Iraq and the erosion of civil liberties. A related signal is his close and continuing cooperation with MoveOn.org, which sponsored those speeches.

A year ago, Gore reentered public debate with his startling New York Observer interview about the right-wing media. Since then he has displayed little of the tentative, calculating style that did such damage to his political fortunes. In fact, the once-cautious, painfully moderate DLC Democrat from Carthage, Tenn., has sounded much more like the fiery candidate whose prospects he will do much to improve tomorrow.

more...

http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2003/12/08/gore/index.html

[wtmusic]

1. It's cool to be fiery again

If Gore wasn't such a follower he'd be president now

[kskiska]

2. Got me again, Dudley

LOL

I took too long editing.

[terrisel]

5. Uh when He Gave His Nomination Acceptance Speech....

the commentator accused him of being...a populist! I never really got to hear or see much of Al Gore during his campaign. I heard a lot of commentators telling me what he supposedly said.
I do think he should have mopped the floor with Bush in those debates----but wasn't he also accused then of menacing Bush? of not being a nice guy.....

I think he he is being much cagier now about how to get his message out through the media filter.

[Dudley_DUright]

6. I know you are the house Salon guru

I just like to scoop you once in awhile. :-)

[KoKo]

3. Dudly.....I was just posting this very post! And to give link hit "Back"

and lost the post! Well......thanks....getting here and seeing this, I don't mind wasting my time on that post. You gave the Salon link I had in my post.....so "All's Correct with the World!"

Yes....this is very significant. Gore breaks with the DLC and DNC/Daschle.....he's trying to show us that "our heart" maybe is in the right place and we gotta "DRAG" that party back from the RIGHT WING!

[Dudley_DUright]

7. I hate it when I do that

I hit back and lose posts all the time. Drives me crazy.

[KoKo]

4. Conason says......OMG! Gore has thrown it to DEAN!

If you like Conason......then that's a BIG endorsement.

[MasonJar]

8. Gore is eloquent and a true statesman.

There is no one like him. He was cheated in 2000, but so were we all. We must get the Democratic voters out. It is our obligation.