"The Presidency of Al Gore, 2001-2009" began as notes for a book in three parts.
As I planned it, Part 1 is a narrative of the 2000 Gore-Bush campaign.
Part 2 is a narrative of the disastrous world brought about by Bush 43 from his inauguration to the present. This part has many excerpts from Al Gore's speeches starting in 2002, outlining his opposition to Bush's preemptive invasion of Iraq and his administration's assault on civil liberties and the environment.
Part 3 is an imagining of what the world would be like if Gore had been president beginning in January 2001. This article is a short version.
"The Presidency of Al Gore, 2001-2009" might still be a book.
Writing the first draft was exhilarating and painful.
When I asked friends and associates for ideas on what they thought the world would be like if Gore not Bush had been inaugurated in 2001, some begged off: it was just too heartbreakingly painful to think about. In the Comments posted on "The Presidency of Al Gore, 2001-2009", Cathexis reacts this way (too painful), but then also reacts as I hoped, by transforming the pain and anger into action.
So behind this fantasy that is "The Presidency of Al Gore, 2001-2009" is the reality of the presidency of George W. Bush, who has turned out to be the worst president in American history, and who knows, perhaps in world history.
"The Presidency of Al Gore, 2001-2009" is thus not really about Al Gore. He was not the greatest campaigner. I disagreed with him on a number of issues. He made a dreadful choice with Joe Lieberman.
In 2000 some said that there was not much difference between Gore and Bush. But there was enough.
As head of the sole remaining superpower, the US president has such vast powers that any small step toward destruction and violence and greed on his (his: we are talking about the 2000 election) part has immense reverberations.
When America sneezes, pandemics are unleashed upon the world.
So, the stolen election of 2000 wrought havoc, chaos, disaster, preemptive war, accelerated global warming, and so on. See my latest piece, "Obama and Wisdom and Clinton," for a narrative of that.
"The Presidency of Al Gore, 2001-2009" is really about how important a U.S. presidential election is. Do you want havoc, chaos, disaster, preemptive war, accelerated global warming, and so on? Then vote for people like Bush and John McCain.
"The Presidency of Al Gore, 2001-2009" is about that just as much as it is about the Bamiyan Buddhas and Local Hero.