Once Al Gore was a mere vice president, but now he is a Nobel laureate and climate-change prophet. He repeats phrases such as "unified national smart grid" the way he once did "no controlling legal authority" -- and the ridicule has been replaced by worship, even by his political foes.Because his lovely wit was always buried by a media who were intractably determined to cast George fucking Bush as the charming bloke in the election Gore ultimately "lost," even that little self-deprecating quip, hiding the genesis (and the catastrophic result) of those low expectations, makes me blub.
"Tennessee," gushed Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican from Gore's home state, "has a legacy of having people here in the Senate and in public service that have been of major consequence and contributed in a major way to the public debate, and you no doubt have helped build that legacy." If that wasn't quite enough, Corker added: "Very much enjoyed your sense of humor, too."
Humor? From Al Gore? "I benefit from low expectations," he replied.
I will never recover from his not being my president.
