World-Renowned Scientist Matt Drudge 'Exposes' Al Gore Again

Like clockwork, the Oscar win for Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' was immediately followed by right-wing "exposes" of his alleged environmental hypocrisy, the same ones that have been continuously debunked for almost a year now. This is how the right-wing base in this country works. When confronted with a serious issue (global warming, troubles in Afghanistan and Iraq, etc), they do not respond with thoughtful analysis of the problem and suggestions for solutions. No, their immediate instinct is to kill the messenger with diversionary attacks (ie. the treason rhetoric toward Congress for confronting the war).

It's a tactic that served them well up until the 2006 midterm elections, but they just can't give up their favorite toy too easily. These campaigns are more of an intellectual indictment of them than any of their targets.

Mr. Drudge in particular has made a hobby out of global warming denial and, as connected fun, attacking Al Gore. See past examples- here, here, and here for starters. Like most of Mr. Drudge's 'scoops', they quickly disappear from his front page (and sometimes the site all together) when it turns out they are-- how should I put this politely-- full of shit.

Al Gore quickly responded to Drudge's antics, however, detailing the many ways he is working to make his lifestyle greener and his committment to erasing his 'carbon footprint', something we all should be lucky enough to have the means to do. And I think it's pretty safe to say that those who seem to indicate Gore should be going further in this regard are the same people who seem proud of their environmental disregard.

Some takes on this faux-scandal from Keith Olbermann, Stephen Colbert, and Will Bunch.

I'll say it again and again... if the right-wing put half as much energy into actually trying to find solutions to the world's problems as they do into attacking their perceived political enemies, we'd be living in a fairy-tale utopia by now.