Eleanor Clift Interviews Al GoreI had to roll my eyes a bit at this intro:
Al Gore has launched his new campaign—this one to battle the effects of global warming. At its center is a new film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” which stars Gore and has been winning surprisingly positive press.Holy smoke, the media giving Al Gore good press? Who woulda thunk it?
Just for fun I thought I'd paste Eleanor's questions and my snappy (and far more honest) answers:
NEWSWEEK: They say timing is everything. Has the moment arrived for this issue?Absolutely. There could not be a better time to talk about raising taxes on gasoline than when it's at $3 a gallon.
Where did you get your initial interest in this?I was looking around at the different grievance groups that make up the Democrats and the enviro-kooks were the only folks I could get out in front and pretend to be leading. The feminists sensed I was a beta male, the blacks said I was the son of a senator who voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
How did this become a movie?You can always find somebody to bankroll a lefty project.
And you inject some humor into your presentation.Is there a question there?
I was surprised to hear that as vice president you went to China and gave the slide show. Why didn’t we hear about it until now?We thought it might hurt my campaign to admit that I was drinking a toast to the butchers of Tiannanmen Square.
What do you hope to accomplish with this film?Mostly to keep my face out in front of the people for another year while I get ready to run for president in 2008.
What do you say to President Bush and others who still suggest we need more study?I say he betrayed us and preyed on our fears, so now I'm preying on our fears.
Because it would cut into their profits?In a Gore economy there would be no profits.
Do you see anything positive in President Bush’s leadership—anything you admire about him?Yes, but if I tell you the moonbats won't like me anymore.
Looking at what you’re doing and how you’re getting this issue out there and yourself out there, I’m wondering if you’re running the first campaign of the 21st century by framing global warming as a moral challenge to a country that’s really eager for leadership.Uh, Eleanor, wasn't there another campaign in 2004? Wasn't that sort of the first campaign of the 21st century?
In 2000 and in 1988 when you ran, you really didn’t talk about the environment that much. I think you were counseled that it was not a good issue. Any regrets about that?Not really. It's a fine balancing act between satisfying all the tree huggers and yet keeping the auto workers on board. And we need those guys for muscle.
The mainstream media still ruled during your campaign in 2000. It’s a very different world today with the Internet. How do you see the new media changing upcoming campaigns?The liberal blogs do a great job of fund-raising, but they're an annoyance. You have to dance their tune which turns off the center. Of course, I don't have any choice, because I'm not going to get to the right of Hillary. So I say the required nasty things about Rove and Bush.
People don’t get up.I recommend viagra.
Do you think the Democrats have a chance of recapturing control of Congress?Not really. All this talk about the opposition party winning off year elections is based on the party in power sweeping a lot of weak candidates into office with the president. The Republicans didn't do that in 2004.
You use the phrase “connect the dots” quite often. You delivered a speech on Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, that was critical of Bush for acting unlawfully in eavesdropping on Americans. Connect the dots from that speech to what you’re doing now.It's all part of keeping the moonbats happy.
