Avoiding accountability by finding a "new" Al Gore

An otherwise good writer in Salon, Andrew O’Hehir, certainly makes Bob Somerby(The Daily Howler) look like a genius in his piece today on the “new” Al Gore (“Hurricane Al,” May 24, http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/review/2006/05/24/gore/ ). Actually, on the subject of Gore in the 2000 election, I have come to the conclusion that Somerby genuinely is a genius – he has his facts down 5000 per cent better than anyone else, always nails anyone who challenges his conclusions to the wall, and I followed the 2000 election, very, very, very closely – so I have no problem channeling him slavishly on this. http://www.dailyhowler.com/index.shtml

So what does O’Hehir do? He certainly knows where his bread is buttered. Granted, he does not regurgitate the false “lies” claims, so perhaps that should be counted as progress. The press is finally getting the fact that repeating the “Invented the Internet,” “Discovered Love Canal,” or “Subject of Love Story” lies will bring on a torrent of thoroughly justified abuse armed with facts the reporter either didn’t bother to find out about, or deliberately ignored. That kind of repetition has become so millennially reprehensible that the emails cannot possibly be obscene enough to qualify as proportional retaliation. Somehow, O’Hehir must have done at least enough homework to have pick up on that. But otherwise, the clichés from mainstream script flow so freely he might as well have been either (a) a GOP Operative in 2000 feeding storylines to be re-circulated by Fox News, or (b) a member of the Washington press corps or circle of national pundits who could not bear to observe independently and show up Beltwaypeers – take your pick. For sure, he won’t lose any freelance assignments from the Washington Post.

“…Al Gore is sincere and earnest….Gore's personal crusade to educate the world…. Gore's wonky …lecture….this notoriously awkward politician…. Yes, his lectures are sometimes dense and wonky affairs….(Hey, babe, wanna catch the
flick about Al Gore's slide show?)…. this strange, portly man …. drone on/in his
slightly put-on Tennessee accent…. (remember, he was mostly raised in a
Washington hotel suite)….a little uncomfortable in his own skin…. the ludicrous
specter of his own "hanging-chad" defeat …. become his own man…. missionary
work”

Get the picture? Heard this stuff before? Some of this really did come directly out of the Republican playbook. But mostly, it’s the Maureen Dowds, Joe Kleins and Arianna Huffingtons – mighty liberals for mighty liberal publications – who maintain ongoing responsibility for keeping the mindset alive. They are bending heaven and earth not to admit the utter shoddiness of their journalism and that of their closest cohorts concerning Clinton and Gore for over a decade. Of course, they realize just how terrible it was, and that they are directly responsible for George Bush and everything he has done to America since then. That’s a heavy burden to carry, but we should be demanding that they carry it.