Bob Herbert: The Trivial Pursuit

News Type: Opinion — Seeded on Sat Oct 13, 2007 9:37 AM EDT

Article Source: The New York Times

Yesterday began with the gratifying news that Al Gore, derided by George H.W. Bush as the "Ozone Man," had won the Nobel Peace Prize.

The first thing media types wanted to know was whether this would prompt Mr. Gore to elbow his way into the presidential campaign. That's like asking someone who's recovered from a heart attack if he plans to resume smoking.

Mr. Gore, who won an Academy Award for his documentary on global warming, "An Inconvenient Truth," and an Emmy for his cable TV network, Current, knows better than anyone else how toxic and downright idiotic presidential politics has become.

He may be one of the most intelligent, thoughtful, talented men in America and remarkably well-equipped to lead the nation, but it's Mr. Bush's less-than-curious, less-than-distinguished son, George W., who is president.

There are all kinds of ironies wrapped up in the title of Mr. Gore's latest book, "The Assault on Reason."

When I heard that Mr. Gore had won the Nobel, my thoughts wandered to the younger Mr. Bush and to Rudolph Giuliani, who is leading the current field of Republican presidential candidates.

Mr. Bush came to mind because, for all of the obvious vulnerabilities he exhibited in 2000, it was not him but Mr. Gore who was mocked unmercifully by the national media. And the mockery had nothing to do with the former vice president's positions on important policy issues. He was mocked because of his personality.

In the race for the highest office in the land, we showed the collective maturity of 3-year-olds.

Mr. Gore was taken to task for his taste in clothing and for such grievous offenses as sighing or, allegedly, rolling his eyes. It was a given that at a barbecue everyone would rush to be with his opponent.

We've paid a heavy price. The president who got such high marks as a barbecue companion doesn't seem to know up from down. He's hurled the nation into a ruinous war that has cost countless lives and spawned a whole new generation of terrorists. He continues to sit idly by as a historic American city, New Orleans, remains wounded and on its knees. He's blithely steered the nation into a bottomless pit of debt.

I could go on.

Mr. Gore actually polled the most votes in 2000, but he was criticized for not having whipped Mr. Bush decisively enough to have avoided the madness in Florida.

Mr. Gore knows the system is in trouble, and not just because of the way he lost in 2000.

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{"commentId":1096053,"authorDomain":"greenpagan"}

greenpagan

FYI --

The Brief on Al Gore

He won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Academy Award, the Emmy… and the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election...!

====

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2 votes

#1 - Sat Oct 13, 2007 10:23 AM EDT

{"commentId":1096404,"authorDomain":"onlynow99"}

Angel_C

Wonderful synopsis.

{"commentId":1096404,"threadId":"161588","contentId":"1022552","authorDomain":"onlynow99"}

1 vote

#2 - Sat Oct 13, 2007 2:14 PM EDT

{"commentId":1096508,"authorDomain":"drydiggins"}

drydiggins

Jeffrey Feldman takes Herbert's column and goes meta:

"Journalists play a crucial role in our political system, Herbert is telling us, and the fact that journalists by-and-large chose the 'barbecue companion' over 'intelligent, thoughtful, and talented'--and then did it again four years later--has had profound consequences in real terms: loss of life, collective wealth, and a general lack of peace and well-being that now poisons the entire world. [...]

The choice was never clearer, Herbert reminds us, and we have suffered deeply for choosing unwisely. [...]

A foul-smelling reality that hangs in the air this week, most of us understand that even in a time of war, impeding economic collapse, inevitable health crises, and a global climate crisis already upon us--were Gore to step again into the Presidential ring, he would again be eviscerated into submission for how he speaks, dresses, and eats--issues of no significance to anyone.

Gore's Nobel Prize shines an unflattering light on America in general and our political culture in particular. It reveals a media-driven American politics driven that still prefers beating good ideas and leadership to death and rolling around in the mess than turning to the future with an interest in understanding what John Dewey once called the relationship between things.[...]"

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#3 - Sat Oct 13, 2007 3:25 PM EDT

{"commentId":1096509,"authorDomain":"drydiggins"}

drydiggins

Well yeah, the link:
http://jeffrey-feldman.typepad.com/frameshop/2007/10/frameshop-well-.html

{"commentId":1096509,"threadId":"161588","contentId":"1022552","authorDomain":"drydiggins"}

#3.1 - Sat Oct 13, 2007 3:26 PM EDT

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Analysis: Gore's Back, but Not for a Bid	Associated Press	Thu Oct 11	0
Should Al Gore Run?	Consortiumnews.com	Thu Oct 11	1
Gore Wins the Nobel. But Will He Run?	Yahoo! News	Fri Oct 12	5
Too Big for the White House: Can Superstar Gore Still Run for President?	SPIEGEL ONLINE	Sat Oct 13	0
Gore, IPCC share Nobel Peace Prize - CNN.com	CNN	Fri Oct 12	0

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Bob Herbert: The Trivial Pursuit

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