Christopher Hitchens on why Gore might run

[Karmadillo]

http://www.slate.com/id/2174590/

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Apart from the awards, not only could Gore claim that he had been a fairly effective senator and a reasonably competent vice president, he could also present himself in zeitgeist terms as the candidate who was on the right side of the two great overarching questions: the climate crisis and the war in Mesopotamia. Should I add that, whether or not he really won the Electoral College in 2000, he did manage to collect the majority of the popular vote? Several people, some of them well-informed, have been saying to me that Gore will wait until the Nobel committee's announcement before he makes up his mind. Should he make up his mind to run, he could alter the entire equation.

Should he make up his mind not to run, he would retrospectively abolish all the credit he has acquired so far. It would mean in effect that he never had the stuff to do the job and that those who worked and voted for him were wasting their time. Given his age and his stature, can he really want that to be the conclusion that history draws?

I am only guessing here, but I think that when Gore wakes up early and upset, he isn't whimpering about the time that the Supreme Court finally ruled against him in 2000. He is whimpering about the time in 1992 when he left the field open to Bill Clinton, a man he secretly despised. Can he really stand to watch yet another Clinton walk away with a nomination that could have been, or could still be, his? To move, then, from a consideration of elevated politics to a reflection upon the baser motives, we have to ask if Gore can possibly be content to be a "citizen" when he could still be a contender.

This consideration might be in his mind already. (It would be astonishing if it were not.) And of course it's been noticed that he coyly refuses to make a Sherman declaration about the possibility or otherwise of a run. That's ordinary—and annoying. What isn't ordinary is the possibility that a boring and cynical election process might be given a jolt and that the current brokers and managers of the Democratic Party might be given a jolt as well.

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[Puregonzo1188]

1. Did I read this right?

as the candidate who was on the right side of the two great overarching questions: the climate crisis and the war in Mesopotamia.

Does this mean Hitchens admits the Iraq War was a mistake?

[The Count]

2. Hell just froze over! Also, I know Gore won't run - because Snitchens predicts he may.

[Cha]

20. But, but..

"..This consideration might be in his mind already. (It would be astonishing if it were not)"

Don't you get it..it would be astonishing if it were not?! ;)

Doesn't read very sober.

[Jacobin]

7. He must have temporarily sobered up

[RufusTFirefly]

16. ROFLMAO!! Exactly!!! n/t

[saltpoint]

8. Excellent catch. I believe you've nailed it and nailed it good.

[progressoid]

25. Maybe he means that Gore is on the side of popular opinion about the war

Not necessarily that he agrees with opinion.

[Maestro]

3. Wow. That would be so exceptionally awesome to

say former vice-president, Oscar award winner for An Inconvenient Truth and Nobel Peace Prize winner is now President of the USA. I'm not sure if Hitchens is sincere, but it sure sounds nice.

[earthlover]

4. Bullshit....

..."Should he make up his mind not to run, he would retrospectively abolish all the credit he has acquired so far"

How could anyone be so stupid as to make such an air-headed statement like that?

If the above statement is indeed true, logic would have it that nobody deserves any credit for what they have done in their lives if they choose not to run for president!

Al Gore doesn't deserve such crap coming from Mr Hitchens. By all means, according to his own logic, since Hitchens has apparently decided not to run, he abolishes all credit he may have.

Hitchens is an embarrassment and apparently likes to flap his mouth in the wind without substance coming out.

[spirit of wine]

5. Gore would be bettter served in a UN post than any kind of

United States office. The Bush era has lowered the status around the world and it will take quite a while for that to be be regained by the global community through any position seen through the USA. Better freedom can be achieved through a less politicized post.

[DefenseLawyer]

15. Riiiight

The President of the United States has no power to affect change in the world. I'm not sure if posts like this come from environmental idealists or Clinton supports, but they certainly don't come from reality.

[Iris]

6. Because there is a god after all? n/t

[mitchum]

9. I wish that Gore had either Nixon's resentment pathology or Clinton's savior pathology...

either of those would compel him to get in the race

[Kolesar]

22. That was an entertaining post to wake up to ...

.. :)

[goforit]

10. Mr Hitchens??? roflmao!!! since when would Gore listen to this New World

Order Asshole. Pardon my words.

[graywarrior]

11. Hitchens has been looking sober lately.

[THUNDER HANDS]

12. he makes a semi-brilliant point

that if Gore doesn't run, he essentially says that his stolen 2000 election win was no big deal.

If he really thought the presidency was his, and that he would have done a better job, he kind of owes it to all those who donated to his campaign, who fought for him both before, during and after the election - to jump in now and go for it.

Nobody is asking him to win the presidency, or even the nomination.

But the least he could do is give it a shot.

[The Count]

28. This "brilliant point" is 4 years late. been discussed then. Now it's moot.

[Kurovski]

13. K&R. (nt)

[FogerRox]

14. My hope will dim after Oct if AL Doesnt get in.

[dpbrown]

17. Hitchens is a Clinton hater

This is less about Gore running that about Hitchens smearing the Clinton-Gore relationship for personal gain.

[AX10]

18. Exactly!

[BenDavid]

19. And is he able to sit up straight?

[NNN0LHI]

21. Christopher Hitchens is a drunk. An obnoxious drunk at that

Or is this a different Christopher Hitchens than the one I am thinking of?

Don

[maine_raptor]

23. Chris's expertise gives him credibility.

But only when it comes to alcoholic beverages. As for politics, etc............just STFU, Chris!

[PDenton]

24. Would Gore keep speaking the truth as president

Anybody Remember Gore the VP? You know, the guy who never had a problem shilling for Clintons neo-liberal economic policies, never met a free trade agreement he didn't like? Thought Kyoto wasn't worth fighting for? Gore the lap dog? Anybody remember that Gore? What makes people think he won't be Mr. Slick if and when he's elected president?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

26. Me on why Christopher Hitchens is a drunken fool who likes to start arguments.

I have about as much authority as he does.

[youthere]

27. This is one instance where I'm hoping Someone (especially Gore) listens to Hitchens.

I don't care why Al might run...I just care that he does.