American Spectator

Turf Wars

The Columbia Front

Former Vice President Al Gore was angered to learn that Columbia University's commencement speech will be made by Bill Clinton. In fact, Gore was so annoyed to learn that Clinton would be intruding on his new stomping grounds that when asked about it by students Gore told them they should do something if they disagreed with the school's selection of Clinton. He suggested they could write a letter to the school administration or perhaps even start a petition drive, according to a former Gore aide in Washington who heard about the matter from Gore. "It wasn't that he wanted to make the speech himself," says the former aide. "He just didn't want Clinton to make a dime off of a school he had a relationship with." The petition drive fizzled, as no one took up Gore's hints to start one.

-- Anonymous, April 24, 2001