Abbott & Costello Revisited..now THIS is FUNNY!!!!!!

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Late last year Al Gore, right, seen in a file photo, reportedly confronted Bill Clinton about the Democrats' loss of the presidential election.

Who was Deep Throat on Clinton-Gore showdown? Long list of likely suspects By Jay Severin MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR

Feb. 8 — It really must have been something to see: Vice President Al Gore slouches into the Oval Office the day after he concedes to George W. Bush. Gore says, “Good morning, Mr. President” “Hey Al. How’s my buddy?” “How am I? How am I? A big loser, that’s how. And I’d be president now if it weren’t for you, you reprobate.”

”WELL, GEE, Al, it’s funny you should say that, you ingrate, because you actually would have won had you embraced me and my record…and, of course, not managed to get beaten in three debates by that Einstein, Bush, you dolt.” Reports that Gore confronted Bill Clinton, and blamed his ex-boss for losing the election, are delicious. There are shades of Laurel and Hardy in envisioning the scene: “Here’s another fine mess you’ve gotten us into.” But there is something else to this story: how did it become one? Only Gore and Clinton were in that room together, no aides, no secretaries. Only the two of them know what was said. Yet there was the story, in detail, on page one of The Washington Post this week. That means either Gore or Clinton blabbed. Who leaked this story and why? Who is Deep Throat in the Gore-Clinton spat? In as much as politics is a zero-sum game (somebody always gains and, thus, somebody else always loses), the trail to the source of this story begins with the same question police ask when they find a body: Who had motive and opportunity? In political terms the question is: who looks good and who looks bad as a result of this story?

This standard points to several intriguing suspects and possibilities, to wit: 1. Clinton — to help himself. The former president knows that Al Gore is frantically trying to maintain his political viability for 2004 — and that this depends entirely on Gore persuading people that he didn’t really lose the election, Clinton lost it for him. But Clinton has his own viability, and legacy, to worry about. So, Clinton leaked the story to put his spin on it — and to warn Gore that future slander will not be tolerated. 2. Clinton staff — to hurt Clinton. A formerly loyal senior member of Clinton’s staff, finally disgruntled by Bubba’s behavior and the belief that it cost Democrats the White House, leaked the story as a slap at Clinton and a boost for Gore (Whose payroll will this staffer be on in 2004?).

3. Gore — to help himself. Gore could blame himself for the loss, but it’s a lot less painful to believe Clinton cost him the election. Gore’s “I stand here as my own man” bit didn’t cut it, so this Oval Office meeting was a formal declaration of independence — a way to say to Democrats “give me the ball on my own next time, and I will win for you.” If Clinton is the dirt, this leak is the shower. 4. Gore staff — to hurt Gore. A formerly loyal senior member of Gore’s staff, disgruntled by Gore’s refusal to embrace Clinton and thereby win the election, and worried that Gore would lose again in 2004, leaked the story to weaken Gore’s standing among core Democrats (who worship Clinton).

5. Terry McAuliffe — to help himself. The newly-minted chairman of the Democratic National Committee is Daddy Warbucks for one reason: his relationship with the Clintons and his role in their political successes. This is McAuliffe’s entire portfolio, his reason for being. The Clinton-as-leper theory makes McAuliff just another political hack. If you believe Clinton lost this election for Gore, you don’t return McAuliffe’s (fundraising solicitation) phone call. But if you believe Gore lost it by distancing himself from Clinton (who, if he could have run, would surely have won again), you buy what McAuliffe’s selling for the next few years.

6. Hillary Clinton — because she is Hillary Clinton. Regarded as an utterly fantastic idea when it was predicted in this space more than two years ago, HRC’s Senate run and Senate seat are and always have been merely tune-ups for her only real ambition, the presidency. Though she will run (and she will) on her own reputation in some respects, her name is still Clinton. As we know, Hillary will put up with a lot — but the notion that the Clintons lost anything for the Democrats is not something Hillary can live with, politically. Her current and future political stock will rise or fall depending on the short-term Clinton legacy. And that makes Al Gore a rival.

It's YOUR fault...no STUPID it's YOURS! (ROFL!!!!)

-- Ain't Gonna Happen (Not Here Not@ever.com), February 09, 2001

Answers

Probably just more of the republican exagerations that have filled the airwaves for the past 8 years.

It is amazing that people are so used to commercials being half truths and exagerations and so expect no less from polititions. Gore said he invented the internet? No. But that didn't stop the repubs and W from stating that he did over and over during the campaign. Altering the truth, exagerating the "trashing" of the white house, campaign promises-they are spoken then when the facts come out disputing them, no one cares..no biggy, everyone lies right? There is no honor or in the office of the presidency, but who cares? The office of Aids and race is out of here! Oh Oh the media and the people start to scream and they find some poor sucker to put the blame on and call it a mistake. Suuure, riiiight. Seems they are just gonna do what they want to do unless there is a big outcry then they will fing a fall guy and say it wasn't true, no no no we iddn't say that, we didn't mean that.

Why don't they just get honest and say that poor and minorities and sick and elderly can just go die off (legally of course) so the money that would be wasted on those leaches, you know, the dregs of society will not interfere with the true Americans, the ones with money from getting all the money they can. It's all about money isn't it? Take away the money wasted on the dregs of society so the governmetn can give it to those who deserve it-the rich. Nothing wrong with being rich, after all they are the ones who buy the repugs so they will get rid of all of those nasty laws that hinder big business from getting bigger. Polution? Who cares if the rivers are so poluted your skin falls off if you walk in them? Breathing? Why worry about pollution when it is the dregs of society who can only afford to live around the polluters, it will get rid of them sooner, and the sooner the better-now with no medical coverage and unaffordible medication these dregs should not live very long any more. NOPE the republicans have not twisted, lied, or just out and out made things up that they feed to the media just to make them look good by making others look bad.

Corperate welfare is the way to go, that is acceptable, but don't even think about giving some sick kid medical coverage, whats the profit in that? As for this tax plan, the super rich do not pay all that many taxes anyway, if they pay any. They pay their lawyers to make sure they have tax shelters to prevent that.

When did this society come to the point where people do not matter any more? That someone who works at a job is belittled because they don't get medical coverage as a benifit of that job? Blamed for it-told that it is their own fault? If no one worked at all of those lousy little jobs that don't pay shit and don't have benifits, then where would all these rich people be? Growing their own food, making their own clothes, cleaning their own houses?

Funny how many people got big attitudes when they got rich quick during the dot com explosion, I wonder what they are doing these days?

But we get to hear all about Gore and Clinton argueing. How about hearing what Barbara said to W when she told him to give up the bottle or she was out of there? Maybe she said- You sloppy drunk, juvinile, insecure little bastard, you've fried your brain to the point where you can'r make a coherent sentence, can't even remember that social security id a federal program, you talk like you never finished the third grade, get rid of the Jim Beam or I'm leaving. They say he quit cold turkey.. well duh.. he went into rehab, it isn't like he sat at home and did it himself.

Funny how he now speaks 4 words at a time with no inflection, he reads his statements like a child just learning to read. He doesn't seem to understand what it is he is reading, he just says the four, and occasionally five words, hesitates as he reads the next ones, then is off again to say four more. Maybe Gore and Clinton has an arguement, but they at least comprehend enough of the language to have an arguement, unlike W who is full of prerecorded "phrases".

I almost feel sorry for W, he is like a mentally retarded teenager with the mental ability of a 7 year old who is trying his best to act like an mentally normal functioning adult.

-- Cherri (jessam5@home.com), February 10, 2001.


I almost feel sorry for W, he is like a mentally retarded teenager with the mental ability of a 7 year old who is trying his best to act like an mentally normal functioning adult.

...and so it goes. Liberal theology: Never attack the information directly, but attack the vehicle conveying it. Whether it be a person, newspaper or? Discredit them or it in an attempt to render them/it inept.

Very sad... and very spineless!

-- Ain't Gonna Happen (Not Here Not@ever.com), February 10, 2001.


Cherri's description describes only her own distorted fantasies, and could not be recognized by anyone out in the real world. Yes, there are those who would favor different policies in general, there always are. But this is why we have elections, and deliberative bodies, and a legal system. Conflicts can be defined and resolved formally and effectively.

Meanwhile, Cherri rants on and on about people and things that have no analogue or parallel in reality. What she's displaying isn't a matter of emphasis, or policy, or even personality. It's the stuff of sheer nightmare, painted on the inside of opaque glasses. The kind of dementia that would call for institutionalization if she were to engage in anything but misspelled blathering. Let's hope she continues to confine herself to that much, so that nobody gets hurt.

-- Flint (flintc@mindspring.com), February 10, 2001.


"Meanwhile, Cherri rants on and on about people and things that have no analogue or parallel in reality."

Oh, I see. I guess you think the people would be much wiser if they focused on the "reality" presented by rightwingers, like the subject of this thread, for example?

Uh-huh. Yeah. Okay.

BWAAAAHAAAAHAAAAHAAAHAAAHAAHAAHAAA!!!!!

That's a good one Flint! Don't worry, you aren't deluded in the least. All of the above information is based only on the "facts" on which you so adamantly insist!

-- Sure Thing!! (LMAO@flint's.double.standards), February 10, 2001.


Thing:

I'm not sure if you're trying to say anything here or not, but I'll assume you had a thought at one time, even though by the time you figured out your html tricks it had eluded you.

Jay Severin is almost surely speculating about whether such a meeting between Gore and Clinton ever even took place, but Gore clearly had a problem during the campaign deciding how to position himself. One the one hand, he didn't want to come across like a Clinton acolyte. Clinton's record had too many blemishes and Gore lacked that old gladhanding ability to slop around them. On the other hand, Gore wanted to associate himself with some of the prosperity that had coincided with Clinton's terms in office. Then again, he needed to project himself as an independing leader, his own man, after 8 years of having been such an excellently invisible second fiddle.

Ideally, Gore could have tried to project a "more of the same good stuff, but none of the bad stuff, leadership you can be proud of" and have Clinton (for whom a third term was forbidden) get out there and back Gore up. But this would have required that Clinton show two characteristics he does not possess -- humility and teamwork. Instead, Clinton tried to do what came most natural to him -- steal the show and pretend no campaign to replace him was even happening. And this almost surely damaged Gore's campaign, and definitely didn't help any.

And *nowhere* in this Severin speculation is there a single word about Bush. Yet we find Cherri, as usual, ignoring Severin and ranting about a vision of Bush no sane person shares. Woo woo woo! Earth to Cherri, come in please!

-- Flint (flintc@mindspring.com), February 10, 2001.



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