My wife read Gore's "Earth in the Balance" at the same time as a P.J. O'Rourke's "All the Trouble in the World" not too long ago.

She told me she found O'Rourke's book to be very funny and clever while, on the other hand, finding Gore's book to be, and I quote, "completely retarded and stupid."

What's worthy of note is that my wife is no fan of politics nor has any particular political party preference. Yet, to this day, anytime she hears someone mention his name, she'll swear up and down that Gore is a moron with serious issues.

Digital Brown Shirts . . . It's a shirt with gloves attached? I had a jacket like that in elementary school, but it was blue. And they were mittens.

Before 9/11, anyone who criticized a Republican president could expect to be criticized by right-wing pundits; anyone who criticized a Democratic president could expect to be criticized by left-wing pundits. That's what pundits do. Of course, people writing online do it faster -- but with less coordination.

I used to be a pundit, so I know.

I guess what galls is that politicians who are out of office get very little coverage, unless they're Bill Clinton.

By using the term Brownshirt, isn't Gore making a roundabout reference to Bush=Hitler? It would be unseemly for someone like Gore to come out and say that Bush is Hitler but by saying the people who defend Bush are the same thing as Nazi Brownshirts, he can feel smart with his sly little reference. He's clearly lost it.

Brownshirts were known for beating people up. They didn't put up web sites or write letters to the editor; they did everything they could to physically intimidate people.

The cases of physical intimidation that I've read about lately mostly come from the Left, and they usually occur on university campuses.

In a worldview that accepts that criticism is tantamount to censorship, small wonder that the idea of "Brownshirts" would come to hand readily and easily.

But as Bret Stephens noted in the WSJ a few days ago, this is a worldview that also believes that Iraq has seen resistance along the lines of Stalingrad, and views Abu Ghraib as no better than the Soviet gulag.

"Brownshirts" is an interesting choice of words for a fella who once paid a feminist fashion consultant $50,000 to advise him to dress in Earth tones.

"let's try and focus on real policy analysis and discuss differences there, shall we? wouldn't that be nice for a change?"

Who said that?

Why it was dinesh.

gary, i was just kidding with the whole cheney thing, using it as an example of why i feel frustrated with the extremely low, uncivil and frankly undesirable nature of political discourse.

this blog, i think does an especially good job for local seattle-area issues, esp. the monorail and education.

as for a national-level debate, i think they are age-old issues which cry out for attention--namely, education, health care and infrastructure type issues. seemingly new issues in the wake of post 9/11 are terrorist threats, but more generally, the role of the u.s. in international affairs.

i personally think that this administration has failed on several fronts, especially when compared to what a 'traditional' republican agenda should look like. most people are more moderate, i think, than the leaders of either party.

i think focusing on aspects of either party which seek to ridicule or diminish the other valid points that are being made is simply political entertainment as its most benign or politcal demagoguery at its worst.

but i don't run this blog, i simply participate as with the occassional comment.

Dinesh

I've read most of your comments. They hardly comport with either the spirit of or the subtance of your most recent post (vague complaints). They are mostly useless rants that add nothing to the debate over issues you profess to want but fail to offer.

gary--i agree that many of my previous posts were inconsistent with the tone i take now--as i've realized that i was part of the problem, not the solution.

i think that shark does a good service by maintaining this blog, and i believe i owe it to myself as well as him to conduct myself more appropriately.

you may call my posts useless rants, but often, i find that folks don't respond to any substance, but instead engage in ad hominem attacks, going so far as to question my background without even knowing me.

it will take some re-training on my part to be a more insightful contributor, especially given that many of the folks who comment on this blog seem to be of more homogenous political mindsight.

finally, i find that some of shark's posts convey a sense of humour while making a point. i hope to accomplish the same, without engaging in the demagogurey or name calling.

difference matters.

--TEST

This is a test of the Digital Brown Shirt Network (DBSN). Resume your normal activities.

--END TEST

I know a Digital Brown Shirt Al! I've worked with a Digital Brown Shirt. You are no Digital Brown Shirt!!

The 'Official' President Al Gore Blog

That damn greek Dukkakais keeps leaving messages on my machine, inviting me fishing. Damn Greeks and their fishing. As I always say, there's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore looking like an idiot, Mr. Freak Eyebrows. Call Kennedy, he likes the water.

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Reading Al Gore's rambling comments today from a speech last night about how ideas and conversation is no longer civil in America. Al speaks that some of his liberal pals are experiencing "an alternative reality". No s.. Sherlock!! He says that discussion is today "foiled by angry rhetoric that treats differing viewpoints as the enemy". Am I living in an alternative reality was it not Al Gore screaming that "George Bush lied". Discussion if I recall that is civil and not "foiled" is usually at less than 111 decibles.

Al goes on to say that one of the benchmarks of a soiled interchange of ideas is that the American people can no longer disagree. He cites the fact that Dan Rather "was fired from his job after angering the White House". Oh really! The White House fired him? Let us get this strait. The exact point that Al is trying to argue is that the media is now cowtowing to the powers that be. Al, you are wrong. The reason Dan got the hook is that he no longer was telling us about "the news" but was trying to make news. The news used to be the world of the liberal and it is no longer. So now we know the why of his new TV endeavor. He wants to create this fabulous discourse. Al, call George go out for a chardonnay, George will have his lemonade and talk. Start with yourself formerly big guy and show us the way before you tell us Fox and the bloggers are the reason for the ills in the world. That if the world was spining right Dan Rather would be anchoring two network news shows. Or better yet, bring Dan on your network and see how that resonates with the masses!