So, this evening I had the great fortune to have a quick chat with Al Gore

[radwriter0555]

and his lovely wife Tipper, as they celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary surrounded by family and friends in a nice little restaurant in the south of France.

Mr. Gore is in town to promote and screen his movie tomorrow night.

He was most kind and gracious, I mentioned DU to he and Tipper, and Tipper's eyes lit up in recognition. We chatted for a moment about how things should have been, I simply told him that I appreciate what he's doing, and how he's doing it, etc.

I have always refrained from being any type of fan or gushing and fawning over anyone, and I've met, partyed with, slept with and danced with and dined with literally everyone who's anyone; usually they're introduced to me really, but I felt it was worth introducing myself to the Man who Should Have Been President.

But then as I sat with my friends chatting, we realized if Mr. Gore hadn't had that election stolen from him I wouldn't have been sitting in that restaurant this evening, with those people, my new friends here.

Then I sadly realized that 250,000 iraqis wouldn't have been murdered.
Almost 3000 Americans wouldn't have died on 911.
Some 2500 US troops wouldn't be dead, and so on.

We all got rather quiet for a moment, realizing with a HUGE thud how different our entire WORLD would be, were Mr. Gore the President of the USA, as he rightfully was chosen to be.

Things to ponder.

The Gore's are good people. America used to deserve them. Now.. I'm just not so entirely sure... but I could be convinced to change my mind.

[wtmusic]

1. The Green-Eyed Monster hath swallowed me whole

Bully for you. That will be one to remember. :thumbsup:

[Carni]

10. yep me too--IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!

Waaahhhhh! Waaaahhhh!

That will definitely be one to put in your scrap book.

[Lisa]

2. if things HAD gone the other way ...

... it's a pretty safe bet that you would NOT have been sitting in a nice French restaurant with George W. Bush the week his documentary film was shown at Cannes. Even if you had wanted to!

It's cool that you got to meet the Gores, under any circumstances. I'm jealous!

[corkhead]

4. I would have looked forward to having a beer with smirk

:spray: :sarcasm:

[Hekate]

31. You could've helped shove him off the wagon lol

Given that Bush has made public statements about being an ex-drunk and on the wagon, I've always thought that the "Most people would rather have a beer with W" line was really, really stupid.

But if you ever get the chance, corkhead, give W a push for me.

Hekate

[Uncle Joe]

3. Thanks for posting this radwriter.

I think of it as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, only this time Mr. Smith was already in Washington. The media distorted him to the people and camouflaged Bush's shortcomings.



Kicked and recommended!

:kick:

[stellanoir]

5. As painful as this has been for all of us to witness

he has clearly transformed from the weak and wooden man we saw in '00.
Yes I voted for him even if it wasn't counted.

This is an empowered man who has been humbled and seems to fathom the truth now.

Let's hope he continues to do so.

God bless. Bonne chance for you.

[Greeby]

6. You probably made a better impression than I would

I wouldn't be able to refrain from addressing Al as "Mr. President" :)

[radwriter0555]

28. I couldn't even bring myself to say "bush"... I had to stutter and say

"that other guy" with my nose wrinkled. I couldn't even say his NAME... Mr. Gore caught that too, and my disdain and distaste for bush was very clear.

[MichiganVote]

7. If, by the term 'America' you mean the politicians, you are correct

American politicans do not deserve the good people in this country. Neither do their criminal and corrupt supporters. It hardly matters who is the egg and who is the chicken. Corporate group think has thrived like a bad virus in this country and that is the noxious and naked truth.

But the dream of 'America', the grand experiment, the millions of people past or present who have struggled to build and rebuild this country, they deserve good people. In fact, without good people America would be nothing and stay nothing. Reasonable people work on behalf of other reasonable people and gradually a stone gets moved, a bridge, a book, even a movie....get made.

I don't know what the answers are. I only know what they are not. Chiefly, the answer is not to buy products in the name of democracy we cannot afford, namely; wars, political races, Jesus or tax breaks. None of these are innovative and none of them are beneficial. I like to think that even in other dark days creative, savvy Americans have always stretched to explore or enhance human existence, not demean it.

Today America's an uncivlized mess, tomorrow...well, something will happen. It always does.

[Mind_your_head]

26. Great post! Thank you.

:applause:

American politicans do not deserve the good people in this country.

A more accurate statement might be, 'Most American politicians today aren't WORTHY to represent the good people in this country.'

I hope that the 'good people' in this country will be able to 'reclaim' this land ~ and the sooner the better.

[proud patriot]

8. Thanks For Sharing

:D made me smile from ear to ear .

[ourbluenation]

9. look at you all hanging out with the Gores in the South of France!

two thumbs up!!!!

[Turn CO Blue]

11. It sounds absolutely wonderful.

I am a huge Al and Tipper fan, and would have had to work fairly hard to refrain from gushing.

[Cha]

12. This is so Amazing!

I'm so happy for you..I would be ballistic with being estactic! How nice for you all the be in the South of France together at the same time!

Is their anniversary the 19th? Cause that's my sister's.. she went out tonight to celebrate their 27th year.

[AndyTiedye]

13. We Always Did Deserve Gore. We Still Do. We Got Robbed

[90-percent]

14. next time

talk about Frank Zappa. Al Gore is a fan.

-85% Jimmy

[driver8]

22. I agree. After all of the bullshit that jr. and company have put us

through, we deserve a president that we can be proud of again. Al Gore would certainly fit that description.

[JuniperLea]

15. My sentiments exactly

I met him and his wife at the beginning of the ill-fated campaign when he came to visit my boss at our offices. Very nice people. I thought having dinner with Ozzy Osbourne had cured me of the "gushies"... no, I'm quite sure I blushed and gushed:) I met Bill and Hill not long thereafter. Lucky.

It's like some bizarre sci-fi story... The Butterfly Effect...

[omega minimo]

16. The people have the government they deserve

"Then I sadly realized that 250,000 iraqis wouldn't have been murdered.
Almost 3000 Americans wouldn't have died on 911.
Some 2500 US troops wouldn't be dead, and so on."

"America used to deserve them. Now.. I'm just not so entirely sure... but I could be convinced to change my mind."

Deserve? We LIHOP after the SECOND stolen election, talking about "Next Time"..................................... how many more are dead, how much damage................

[glitch]

17. To the extent that we allowed them to steal it, we have the government we

deserve.

I couldn't agree more about questioning whether or not we deserve these good people as leaders. Perhaps we're still not ready.

But sometimes people get better than they deserve. Serendipity intervenes on their behalf, remarkably.

[radwriter0555]

29. The fine, FINE, wonderful, amazing people here on DU notwithstanding,

America needs to WAKE THE FUCK UP and take back Washington DC and the White House. The majority of Americans do not have the passion and concern for the heart of America like we here on DU do... they've let the nation slip to the edge of the abyss and until the treason of the bush regime is ON THEIR DOORSTEP, they're not going to DO something about it...

Much as the germans did little or nothing about hitler.

Sadly, I've said for 6 years that it will take NATO in the streets of DC to rid the planet of the bush regime, and I'm rarely wrong.

Hence, my position that I'm not sure that Americans deserve someone like Al Gore. The passivity may well lead them to World War III.

[omega minimo]

32. Spectators

[donco6]

18. I've been a fan since the first debate with *

I remember the MSM making a big thing out of Gore's "sighs".

Maybe an open guffaw would have been better. Bush stunk then, stunk even worse with Kerry, hasn't made a sensical decision in his entire reign of terror. Where would we be with Al? A lot better off, that's where.

[NNadir]

19. Wow. That is incredibly cool.

[libodem]

20. Lucky Duck

I feel that the tragic loss of human life also deserves to be made clearly Bush's fault, right down to the WTC lives. The Gores rock!

[driver8]

21. Radwriter...off topic, but how do you like living in Cannes?

I have been there many times and love that city.

Great post, by the way!

[radwriter0555]

30. I absolutely love it here. It found me really and the moment I set foot

here, it became home.

We live in a small village about 4 kms outside, in Mougins. It's small town life with a cosmopolitan feel, which is such a perfect blend for me. My daughter is safe from any harm here... she can freely walk the street (which rolls up at 6:45pm thank you, lol!) and catch the bus to school, or go with friends into Cannes to see a movie or walk on the Croissette. The food is HEAVEN here... I'm not a huge fan of french cuisine, although I appreciate it, but we're so close to italy that I can just run up the coast and there is the BEST italian grocery store and astounding farmer's markets. Cooking is an event every single day for me here, I just love it.

The people are warm and friendly, the weather, as you know, is perfect. I got what I wanted...

I hope very much you'll stay in touch and make sure we connect when you visit again! Feel free to PM me!

[The Witch]

23. Who are you?

how are you able to meet people and talk to people like this?

I envy so badly.

[Stevepol]

24. Of course, America deserves the Gores. America voted for them.

There's too much blaming the American people for what they have no control over. The voting machines and other shenanigans gave Bush the election in 04; the ex-felon list (and probably some rigged voting machines in TN and elsewhere helped too).

The American people are not stupid; they're just disenfranchised right at the moment.

As soon as we have our democracy back, the will of the American people will become abundantly clear.

Congratulations on a nice meeting with Al Gore, the real president of the American people!!

[stepnw1f]

25. I Wish He Would Run

I wish Kerry would be VP... holy shit! Al and Kerry would easily carry the country.

[greenbriar]

27. Gore/Kerry ~ Poetic Justice Because America MIDDLE Class deserves it

and Clark for Sec. Defense
Dean Surgeon General
Feingold Sec State
Edwards Atty General



We deserve it

[radwriter0555]

34. I'd like to see Senator Boxer in there in a major way...

Secretary of State.... That would work.

Chicks rule, after all.

[Warren DeMontague]

33. It probably would have been rude to "pop the question"

even ruder to beg.

But shit, I might not have been able to stop myself.

Please, Al. The Country, The Planet Needs You. You don't need to answer now. Just come out swingin' like Muhammad Ali when the time is right. That is all.

[katinmn]

35. Are you Paris Hilton?

"I have always refrained from being any type of fan or gushing and fawning over anyone, and I've met, partyed with, slept with and danced with and dined with literally everyone who's anyone; usually they're introduced to me really, but I felt it was worth introducing myself to the Man who Should Have Been President."

:)