Al Gore Is Ready For His Closeup; The Smear Campaigns Begin

In my last entry on Gore, I noted how the smear campaigns (smog campaigns?) against him have begun. As they escalate, I am only further convinced that the right sees Gore as a greater potential opponent in '08 than they do Hillary. The latter is the GOP's dream come true (I predict she'd get 40% of the vote just based on partisan devotion and not one point higher); the former is someone who has already proven he can go into overtime in a presidential race.

The latest attack- and a sure sign that Gore has been targeted for destruction by Republicans- came from the king of yellow journalism himself, Matt Drudge. Yesterday, Drudge posted an item on his site stating that "Gore & entourage toom 5 cars to travel the 500 yards from hotel to screening of global warming pic in Cannes." The non-story was quickly debunked by many, including Gore's representatives, who noted that Gore and all his associates walked to the screening. By mid-afternoon, Drudge had removed the item from the site completely, without a note or apology. This, by the way, is the third false story Drudge posted- and retracted- in just a few days, coming after the Iran/badges story and his 'scoop' about the Democratic National Committee and Nagin's reelection. I can only imagine would what happen to a liberal site if it had a track record like this.

Personally, I think that if the worst they can throw at Gore are Drudge's lies and television ads touting the awesomeness of CO2, than I don't think anyone on his staff should be worried at all. The buzz for the film is strong and any calls for him to return to public life are coming from average Americans, not from Beltway consultants. All good signs. Whatever Gore decides on his political ambitions (or lack thereof), it's clear his message is getting through and it's upsetting all the usual suspects.

Further reading for my fellow Gore fanboys and girls-
-AP: Al Gore issues global warming wake-up call
-USA Today: Al Gore's coming back — but how far?
-New York magazine: The Comeback Kid

[UPDATE: Fox News joins in the fun. Who knew Al Gore was so dangerous?

UPDATE #2: Sen. Clinton gets scrutinized too. Do her and Bill fuck??!!! The, yes, NY Times wants to know.]