He came in like a pro, sporting a smaller waistline and a rather shiny pair of black cowboy boots. He shook hands with all the crew and made sure to say howdy-do to the small group of bloggers there. Does any of the above mean Al Gore is going to run for president? You got me. I was too distracted by the boots.
I had the opportunity to sit in on today's MSN.com live chat with former Vice President Al Gore in preparation for this weekend's mega-celebration Live Earth concerts. It was a cozy affair that gave me a chance to see the man in his groove. Once known as a stiff, Gore was more Smooth Operator than Mr. Roboto, clearly passionate about his cause. If PowerPoint presentations are all that are needed to take a man from geek to chic, shy boys with mad Microsoft Office skillz have reason to hope.
Of course, there is always going to be a little bit of a square factor about the man. At least, as long as he keeps up with making his points in "Old African proverbs." I'm sure someone once said, "If you want to get there quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." But surely you can just skip ahead to telling us that if America doesn't do something about climate change now, Katrina is going to end up looking like a walk in the park.
Proverbs and similes aside, Gore brought his A game, plugging the Live Earth concerts that will include some "special surprises" and taking questions from the web. He spoke about the right and duty of the individual "as a citizen" to "arm themselves with the truth. The truth has a moral capacity of its own."
While questions from MSN.com readers tended to steer clear of politics, Gore did touch on the sticky situation of ethanol, a major issue with farmers and environmentalists alike. Pushing for biotechnology fuels like grasses that don't compete with food crops for land, the former Vice President urged Americans to promote "next generation" alternative fuels that benefit both the environment and the economy.
Gore mostly deferred from regaling viewers with personal stories about how he got interested in the environment (minus a tidbit about hearing Dylan's "Blowing In The Wind" for the first time while mowing the lawn) but did talk about his early efforts on environmental legislation, which failed to pass. Gore was shocked when his calls for action were met with apathy saying,"The inaction seemed all the more absurd to me."
With a chuckle he noted, "We have an ally in reality," but Americans have learned that truth doesn't necessarily win, and that it often mutates into "truthiness."
Be that as it may, 7/7/07 will offer the world a chance to get together and rock out in the name of granola, baby seals and trees everywhere. Twenty bucks says the band in Antarctica is the one to play "Free Bird."