When the inevitable question came -- his intentions about 2008 -- he said politics "rewards a tolerance for artifice, repetition, triviality that I don't have in as great supply as I might have had when I was younger."
...
"I think there are a lot of things about politics as it has evolved that I'm not really that good at," he said. "Some people find out earlier in their lives that they're not good at what they've chosen to do." He interjected a self-deprecating laugh. Then he turned serious again. "And I'm not being falsely humble. I think there are some things I do quite well. ... There are a lot of things about the political system that I don't enjoy, and I think those are mostly the same things that I don't think I'm necessarily good at."
Al Gore and politics 6
David Roberts is staff writer for Grist. You can follow his Twitter feed at twitter.com/drgrist.
Related Stories
Add a Comment
You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have an account, log in. If you don't have an account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.
Comments
View as Flat
Colin Wright Posted 1:50 pm
31 May 2007
But ... I had a quick look at the "Assault on Reason". I could find nothing critical about corporations. (It's not mentioned in the Index.) There was the occassional platitude about growing concentration of power and money.
I did find out he is chairman of a sustainable investing firm, on the board of Apple, and a senior advisor to Google.
Me thinks, this is all very consistent with his time in office (and thus things would be barely different today, environmental-wise, if he was President). I think he actually believes in corporations as the only economic form worth considering.
Please tell me I'm wrong.
Permalink
planetthoughts Posted 8:15 pm
31 May 2007
I heard Mr. Gore on the radio yesterday, talking about his new book. Aside from chuckling too much (as if to diffuse his very serious words with humor, a touch I felt was very unnecessary), his words ring true. It seems to me that the fact he respects businesses as players in creating the future is a good thing. Al Gore is capable of talking to all parties, and while keeping his eyes opened does not immediately reject one side or the other. To build the future, we do need everyone's participation, after all.
David Alexander
PlanetThoughts.org
Love your Planet.
Permalink
caniscandida Posted 12:12 am
01 Jun 2007
<<
Democrats plainly like the current incarnation of Al Gore.
That was evident minutes after the Tuesday night interview, when he received a roaring ovation from a full house at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium, where the popular Washington bookstore Politics & Prose was hosting a lecture and signing for "The Assault on Reason."
But if Gore is more intriguing and more sympathetic to many liberals than he was in 2000, that may in part be because he remains tantalizingly out of reach. Gore is most fluent when the conversation is most abstract. When it comes to particulars of contemporary politics -- the push and shove of daily news -- he turns vague and muddy.
>>
That may be true, but I think it is unfair to expect more of Al right now.
On the other hand, the conservative columnist Howard Fineman writes in the June 4 Newsweek:
<<
Gore is a deep-dyed Democrat [the context is his refusing to consider an independent campaign with Michael Bloomberg as his running-mate]; the real question is whether he will be a late entrant for the party nomination. He is "50-50," according to one of his closest friends and financial backers. ... Gore is all the rage among corporate executives, who see wisdom -- and profits -- in going green, and who appreciate Gore's prescience. "Al has set this up so he can jump either way in the fall," said the close friend. "If there is an opening, I say he goes."
>>
So are the corporate executives the ones whose voice matters most to Al?
Chickens are our cousins!
So are other sensitive animals!
Enough is enough!
No more factory farms!
Permalink
birdboy Posted 3:58 am
01 Jun 2007
a liberal in redsville
Permalink
Charles Barton Posted 4:07 am
01 Jun 2007
Charles Barton
Permalink
MilesDuvalier Posted 12:02 pm
01 Jun 2007
I wonder - why don't people believe the same things Albert does?
Albert obviously believes that human caused global warming ideas are meaningless and without validity. This is evident from his behavior, of course, not his words. It is obvious he doesn't believe the idea at all, and maybe you shouldn't either!
If you admire him, why not follow his lead? I do.
Permalink