REACT: What ever becane if what his name?

Quick quiz:

Who invented the Internet?
Who was the male half of the couple that inspired the movie, Love Story?
Who won the 2000 Presidential election?
Who was Vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001?

If you picked Al Gore, you win. At one time or another, he has claimed each of these distinctions. Of course, only number 4 is true. He actually was the Vice President of the United States, though hardly anyone recalls that. Personally, I think he is fortunate to be forgotten in that role. Otherwise you might recall his declaring his boss, Bill Clinton, the greatest president in American history -- right about the time the Prez was getting impeached for adultery, sexual misconduct, perjury and bad manners.

Gore always had a tendency toward hyperbole (a fancy word for gross exaggeration -- which in my old neighborhood, was simply know as b***s***.) Many compare
Gore to Forrest Gump, but I suggest a choice of older literary characters, Walter Mitty or Baron von Munchausen. You see, the Forrest Gump character actually DID the amazing things in the movie. Walter Mitty fantasized, and the Munchman simply prevaricated.

Well, now Gore sees himself as a television mogul, launching the latest manifestation of liberal celebrity media, called Current TV. True to Gore tradition, his launch hype is a bit over the bar of truth.

Now, don't take my word for it. Maureen Ryan's television review in the Chicago Tribune (Aug4) lambastes the fledgling broadcast enterprise, which promises that the programming will "blow you mind."

She goes on to say that, "All the new-media spiel that chairman Al Gore and other Current hype-meisters have been spinning of late sounds like some fairy tale form the dot.com boom."

"Given the hyperbolic pronouncements about how it would change the face of television and the Internet and the culture, blah blah blah, Current's first 36 hours were particularly disappointing," she adds.

There is more. She says, "...Current is remarkably clueless and elitist."

If we look at the liberals-as-media-stars history, we find that they just can't seem to find a connection with the public. Recall when the dynamic duo of former New York Governor Mario Cuomo and former Texas Governor Ann Richards were launched as the liberal answer to Rush Limbaugh, and all those other painfully popular conservative talkies. Then there was the highly publicized re-launch of Phil Donahue. Then the new liberal network, with comedian Al Franken taking the box office appeal role. They all imploded into a brief bright dot, like the image on the screen when you hit the "off" button -- then poof.


The only thing positive that can be said about Gore today is that he looks better without the beard he grew when he was playing the role of college professor.

On can only wonder who or what he will be after his latest role becomes past Current.