What to Watch For When Al Gore Testifies to Congress Tomorrow (David Roberts)

[NYCGirl]

It's going to be fascinating! Read the entire article referenced below — mucho informative!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-roberts/al-gore-to-testify-to-bot_b_43874.html

Here's what David Roberts (of Grist Magazine) will be watching for:

1. How bold are his policy suggestions?
At various points in the past, Gore has suggested some politically explosive solutions, among them an immediate economy-wide "carbon freeze" and the wholesale replacement of the payroll tax with a carbon tax. Will he put those proposals before the House? If he does, I think we can say fairly definitively that he's not running for president. He would be dooming his chances. If he doesn't, well ... hrmmm?

2. How does he handle Inhofe?
Sen. James Inhofe is a paranoid, belligerent, unrepentant party-hack fruit loop of the old school. He is, however, well-rehearsed. He's firing with an intellectual BB gun, but he knows how to work that little pump-action stock like a kid on Christmas morning. He can get quite a few shots off in 15 minutes. Expect a hail of skeptical talking points. The danger is not that Inhofe scores serious hits on the substance -- Gore's firing with live ammo, and he's got the IPCC, NAS, EPA, RG, AGU, AMS, AAS, etc. behind him -- but simply that he makes Gore look as small as he is. Gore will need to get around the red herrings and half-truths with some grace, without getting dragged into the technoscientific weeds or appearing to brush Inhofe off or bully him with consensus. It will require a virtuoso performance.

3. Who wins the award for Most Unctuous Democrat? Most Obnoxious Republican?
Obviously, MOR will go to Inhofe by several lengths. MUD, however, is going to be a wide-open and cringe-inducing contest. My early bet goes to Lieberman, whose got a natural talent for it, is savvy about glomming on to the popularity of others, and needs some good press.

4. Will anyone in the D.C. political press corps spontaneously orgasm when Hillary Clinton addresses Gore directly?
I hope not.

[station agent]

1. Bet Al Gonzalez resigns tomorrow

To make these stories compete. Gonzalez testifies Thursday, so he's got to be gone before that.

[Uncle Joe]

2. I imagine one of the Republican committee people may ask him,

if he was ever a member of the Democratic Party, as this was so important during the Plame hearing.

[Greeby]

3. Bwaaa

Good one! :rofl:

[NYCGirl]

4. I think Lieberman will be the one to ask him! NT

[Uncle Joe]

5. And then Al can say, Joe, Bush gives you one little smoochie

and you forget already! :rofl:

[NYCGirl]

6. Kick