The right-wing smear on Al Gore is proceeding along a predictable path, spreading around with the help of a compliant media and lefties too naive to know how the game is played. The conservative movement loves to build its leaders up; progressives love to tear their leaders down.
Here’s Olberman, gamely trying to look past this story to the larger dynamic:
And here’s Fred Smith, head of CEI, revealing himself to be profoundly ignorant:
(via Hugg)
I’ve all but abandoned hope that these kinds of ritualistic attacks will ever be effectively countered. But everyone who thinks global warming is a problem should consider whether there aren’t people, industries, and laws more worthy of exposure and condemnation than the man who almost single-handedly put climate change on the national radar.
Even assuming the information on Gore’s house is true — everyone seems to have just accepted the word of some hack right-wing attack outfit — is it really the most important focus of national media attention? Do we want to help it stay in the news? Does that advance any of our goals? Is the cause of sane climate change policy advanced by this debate?
