The Nova That Stayed Nebulous

Al Gore ran as someone worse than he actually is

In the hours following Al Gore's impressive showing on Super Tuesday, it seemed that the Tennessee Senator had rewritten the rules of the primary process and lived up to his promise of being the best and brightest of a new political generation. The Harvard-educated Viet Nam veteran had it all: a subtle and supple mind tempered by a self-aware sense of humor, the savvy of a Southern bull breeder mixed with the polish of a Georgetown Prince Charming. Yet somehow he managed to rack up a woeful string of defeats in the Northern states until he finally limped away last week,...

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