Al Gore
| Al Gore | |
|---|---|
| |
| 45th Vice-President of the United States | |
| Term of office January 20, 1993 - January 20, 2001 | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Dan Quayle |
| Succeeded by | Dick Cheney |
| Born | March 31, 1948 Washington, D.C. |
| Spouse | Tipper Gore |
| Religion | Baptist |
Albert "Al" A. Gore, Jr. was the 45th Vice President of the United States (1993-2001) succeeding Dan Quayle and succeeded by Dick Cheney, following service in the House of Representatives and the Senate, spanning 1977-85 and 1985-93, respectively.
In his early life, Al Gore attended Harvard University and (briefly) Vanderbilt University. He also served in the United States Army, and worked as a war correspondant during the Vietnam War. [1]
He is married to activist Tipper Gore.
In his Senate career, he proposed bills to fund the Internet and chaired panels on environmental issues.
He is an author noted for his books Earth in the Balance and Assault on Reason.
He also starred in the 2006 documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," which won an Oscar.
Contents
Vice Presidency
The Democratic Party selected him for Vice President on the 1992 ticket. The Democrats were victorious and he was sworn in on January 20, 1993.
Campaign for the Presidency
As is customary with Vice Presidents, he was nominated to the Democratic ticket for the 2000 Presidential election. Gore lost to George W. Bush in the Electoral College after a close vote, in which Gore received more popular votes than Bush, but fewer electoral votes. Gore contested the results in Florida. On December 13, 2000, after an extensive court battle (Bush v. Gore), Gore accepted Bush's election to the Presidency.[2].
In the spring of 2000 Gore told the International Press Institute in Boston,
- "For all of my career, I have believed that America has a responsibility to lead in the world. ...we must also recognize that there is ...a set of threats that affect us all and that transcend political borders....we need a foreign policy that addresses the classic security threats -- and understands the new ones as well....We need to pursue a policy of "forward engagement" -- addressing problems early in their development before they become crises; addressing them as close to the source of the problem as possible" [3]
Gore contemplates a dark horse bid for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination, he appears to have been downgraded from an Alpha male to a Beta male by Newsweek magazine. [4]
Post politics
Gore has started an investment firm to invest in environmentally sustainable technology and industries, a cable channel (Current TV), and is an adviser to Google. Al Gore is also mentioned as a possible 2008 presidential candidate. His famous sentence: "I used to be the next president of United States of America."
Criticism
Al Gore has recently received criticism for his alleged hypocrisy on environmental issues. When it was discovered that Gore's utility bill is 20 times higher than the average American's[5] many of his detractors accused him of not living up to his own standards. Gore's defenders claim that the majority of that power came from 'green', or environmentally friendly, power sources such as solar and wind power. These power sources are much more expensive than traditional power sources such as coal and nuclear power. From The Tennessean:
"Gore purchased 108 blocks of "green power" for each of the past three months, according to a summary of the bills.
That's a total of $432 a month Gore paid extra for solar or other renewable energy sources.
The green power Gore purchased in those three months is equivalent to recycling 2.48 million aluminum cans or 286,092 pounds of newspaper, according to comparison figures on NES' Web site."[6]
Also, some conservatives have pointed to Gore's use of a private jet while spreading the message about the dangers of global warming.[7]
Attention has also been called to Gore's profits from mining royalties. Specifically, the mining of zinc adjacent to his property he leased in Tennessee, which has released millions of pounds of potentially toxic substances into the environment.[8] The mine has been closed since 2003. The new owner Strategic Resource Acquisition is planning to re-open the mine. From The Tennessean (3/12/07):
'Last week, Gore sent a letter asking the company to work with Earthworks, a national environmental group, to make sure the operation doesn’t damage the environment.
“We would like for you to engage with us in a process to ensure that the mine becomes a global example of environmental best practices,” Gore wrote.'
However, this was after he had already made $500,000 from the mining operations.[Citation Needed]
See Also
Articles about Al Gore from previous "Breaking News"
References
- ↑ William V. Kennedy, The Military and the Media: Why the Press Cannot Be Trusted to Cover a War. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 1993. [1]
- ↑ 2000 Presidential Election Results
- ↑ A New Security Agenda for the Global Age, Al Gore, Speech to the International Press Institute, Boston MA, April 30, 2000. Retrieved from U.S. Department of State, International Information Programs.
- ↑ Betas Rule, By Jennie Yabroff, Newsweek, June 4, 2007.
- ↑ Al Gore, Hypocrite
- ↑ [2]
- ↑ More Inconvenient Truths About Al Gore
- ↑ Tennessee Mine Enriched Gore, Scarred Land
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