Al Gore's Political Courage

What a glorious day to see Al Gore accept his Nobel medal and diploma in Oslo. The man once elected president of this great country, only to be turned out of office by dangerous Bush political operatives such as James Baker, myopic and cowardly Supreme Court justices, such as Sandra Day O'Connor and thugs posing as election officials on the payroll of Florida's governor, Jeb Bush.

Al Gore today takes his place as a true global leader. Through his important work, he demonstrates the insight and determination that was the measure of political courage yesterday, is so today and will be tomorrow. It is the necessary force for change that has constituted great political movements in this and other nations throughout human history. It is the essential combination of character and inspiration that we require in difficult times. Those qualities have typically resided in the one individual who can turn the guts, wealth and ingenuity of the USA into solutions for the world's problems. Today they reside in Nobel Prize winer Albert Gore. They used to reside in one that we call the President of the United States.

Comments

[KPinSEA]

Gore is a fine example of how the skills to *be* a good chief executive have almost no overlap with the skills needed to be *elected* as chief executive.

If we need more proof, we can look at the current campaigning in both parties. The problem with Presidential politics is that anybody we would actually admire as a candidate has no desire to be part of the process that we've created. They're too smart to want to be President.

Stay in private life Al ... you seem much happier as a man saying what he thinks, not saying what he thinks will poll well.

[Meadow]

Key word: character. Al Gore has shown tremendous character. Congratulations to him and those who worked with him. Much deserved.

[RickyBobby]

Check into Al's oil connections
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=468
Nowhere is Al Gore's environmental hypocrisy more glaring than when it comes to his relationship with Occidental. While on the one hand talking tough about his "big oil" opponents and waxing poetic about indigenous peoples in his 1992 book "Earth in the Balance," the Elk Hills sale and other deals show that money has always been more important to Al Gore than ideals.

[Economike]

cowarldy Sandra Day O'Connor...heh heh

[SLadd]

I couldn't agree more Mr. Baldwin. Al Gore is the one visionary in our land, maybe in any land, that sees and knows what he's seeing. He has moved into a realm of vision that very few have entered. A lifetime of thinking, feeling, serving, sacrificing, winning, and losing, has prepared him in every way to be a leading light. Not a Messiah, but a kind of savior, at least one who wants to save us from ourselves and preserve our planet. And oh boy, would I love to have him be the one to save our Country and Democracy !

[provgrays]

The Bush cabal robbed Gore of his rightful office, but it couldn't stop him from leading.

[Sociallyconscious]

Alec,
I agree with all that you have written. Can you give serious thought to these shotings that are occurring in the USA. The shotters are obviously mentally ill. Why are we ignoring our mentally ill? Why are we not hekping them before these terrible incidents occur. Why isn't anyone saying this? Everyone is asking WHY? The reason is obvious to me. We are ignoring our mentally ill. This is a major crisis.

[Miamiman]

Congrats to Mr. Gore for his his prize. He is definitely a great ACTIVIST.
Leader, not so much. He had a terrible voting record in the Senate and could not even carry Tennessee (home state) in the 2000 Election.

Let him stick to what he does best. You go OZONEMAN!

[ChiGuy]

What a shame he didn't run for POTUS this time around.
We could use a leader like him.

[UPer]

First CNN broadcasts Gore's acceptance speech. Then they go on to ridicule Gore, comparing him to Jerry Lewis's nutty professor role. Since Europeans like Jerry Lewis and Al Gore, they must see Gore as the nutty professor. Also, their acceptance of Gore's message on global warming must only be because they hate Bush so much. This follow up to Gore's speech by CNN truely belonged on Faux News. It turned my stomach.

[SD61]

Al Gore must run for President. Damn it, he would win pretty handily, I'll wager. He's the only President I've ever voted for, in 2000. True story.

Gore-Clinton or Gore-Obama in 2008. Let Hillary or Barack watch for eight years from the catbird seat, just like Al did. Then, they'll be more than ready for the top job.

Thanks for the nice message about Gore, Mr. Baldwin.

[MrMurder]

Al had quite a speech in accepting his award.

The sense you got as it went on was that much of the free world listened and realized what America lost in having his election win hijacked.

Imagine the kind of respect he got there, being given to America as a whole, in helping us deal with real coming issues instead of the ignorant, bald faced denial of AWOL's job as a Cheney puppet.

Most of the audience was thinking about this being President Gore getting the world together.

Seven years time before some of the numbers reach perhaps irreversible stages in our lifetime.

Who could have ever imagined?(/Condi,Shrub,Huckabee)

[cheforacle]

Alec is right. When Gore began talking about global warming in the 1980's there was absolutely no (zero) benefit to him politically to raise the issue. He was ostracized for it by Bush 41 in 1992 and derided as "ozoneman". The advocacy against global warming is the complete opposite of the GOP's constant support for tax cuts. Offering tax cuts to the electorate requires no courage. It reminds me of why I won Student Council President at my high school: I gave out more candy to the younger kids. Instead of giving out candy Gore has systematically, and against his own political interest, championed a cause for which one day most people on this planet will agree he deserves universal respect.

[MmeFlutterbye]

Knowing all this we went and allowed a sociopath to become president rather than Al Gore!!! Go figure!! We are a society of the insane!!!

[IowaGirl]

I was pleased to hear Pres. Clinton give some major props to his old VP at a campaign stop in Iowa yesterday. He said something about Gore's Nobel prize being vindication for having been "laughed at for 20 years." I'm sure he's especially pleased that Gore is not going to run against Hillary this time!