Al Gore has written a new book

[thomez]

Amazon.com: The Assault on Reason: Books: Al Gore

Book Description
A visionary analysis of how the politics of fear, secrecy, cronyism, and blind faith has combined with the degration of the public sphere to create an environment dangerously hostile to reason

At the time George W. Bush ordered American forces to invade Iraq, 70 percent of Americans believed Saddam Hussein was linked to 9/11. Voters in Ohio, when asked by pollsters to list what stuck in their minds about the campaign, most frequently named two Bush television ads that played to fears of terrorism.

We live in an age when the thirty-second television spot is the most powerful force shaping the electorate's thinking, and America is in the hands of an administration less interested than any previous administration in sharing the truth with the citizenry. Related to this and of even greater concern is this administration's disinterest in the process by which the truth is ascertained, the tenets of fact-based reasoning-first among them an embrace of open inquiry in which unexpected and even inconvenient facts can lead to unexpected conclusions.

How did we get here? How much damage has been done to the functioning of our democracy and its role as steward of our security? Never has there been a worse time for us to lose the capacity to face the reality of our long-term challenges, from national security to the economy, from issues of health and social welfare to the environment. As The Assault on Reason shows us, we have precious little time to waste.

Gore's larger goal in this book is to explain how the public sphere itself has evolved into a place hospitable to reason's enemies, to make us more aware of the forces at work on our own minds, and to lead us to an understanding of what we can do, individually and collectively, to restore the rule of reason and safeguard our future. Drawing on a life's work in politics as well as on the work of experts across a broad range of disciplines, Al Gore has written a farsighted and powerful manifesto for clear thinking.

There is also a decent-sized book excerpt available from Time magazine, which can be found here:

Book Excerpt: The Assault on Reason | TIME

Any thoughts about this before it comes out?

I wonder if it will stay on topic or if it will sneak some of his politics into the book as well. If it stays on topic it has the potential to be a pretty cool book, written by a politics insider on the shrinking effect that reason has on the decisions of our countries' leaders. In general I believe there is a point to be made there, I just wonder how it will be done - politically or broad in scope to include similar behaviors by those on all sides of the issues.

[RMNIXON]

The man seriously needs to get over himself!

I guess we can give him a pass as he was only VP? But it has been a tradition for as long as I remember that former Presidents don't trash a current administration no matter what party. Clinton has honored that in spite of much pressure. Gore has not, nor has "Hillary in Chief."

[Thorgrim]

Bill has criticized Bush, so has Carter

It's pretty bad after the devastation he's caused this country to not criticize him

[thomez]

Originally Posted by RMNIXON

The man seriously needs to get over himself!

I guess we can give him a pass as he was only VP? But it has been a tradition for as long as I remember that former Presidents don't trash a current administration no matter what party. Clinton has honored that in spite of much pressure. Gore has not, nor has "Hillary in Chief."

There is nothing wrong with him being critical of the current President, do you have anything to add related to the book?

[RMNIXON]

Originally Posted by thomez

There is nothing wrong with him being critical of the current President, do you have anything to add related to the book?

Not yet. I just found out about it myself. But hearing the clips of Gore's angry speeches over the years since 9/11 I have a good idea what will be in it!

And I might add that being critical of policy is not the same as the constant personal attacks. There is always room for policy disagreement. That does not mean you have to become uncivil and disrepectful so you can score points with the Bush haters.

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by RMNIXON

Not yet. I just found out about it myself. But (two logical fallacies, both ad hominem)

And I might add that being critical of policy is not the same as the constant personal attacks. There is always room for policy disagreement. That does not mean you have to become uncivil and disrepectful so you can score points with the Bush haters.

It's simply not constructive, yes, we all figured out by now you don't like Al Gore, you don't have to play "master of the obvious conservative viewpoint"

I think we've had enough experience with right wing posters simply cutting and pasting GOP talking points and refusing to go beyond those bounds into a meaningful debate, we certainly don't need anyone clogging up the forum with "well, ya know...just incase you guys forgot...I don't like Al Gore!!!"

[thomez]

Originally Posted by RMNIXON

Not yet. I just found out about it myself. But hearing the clips of Gore's angry speeches over the years since 9/11 I have a good idea what will be in it!

And I might add that being critical of policy is not the same as the constant personal attacks. There is always room for policy disagreement. That does not mean you have to become uncivil and disrepectful so you can score points with the Bush haters.

There comes a point when I believe it is acceptable to become disrespectful and the Bush presidency has largely went there.

[Kytro]

Originally Posted by RMNIXON

And I might add that being critical of policy is not the same as the constant personal attacks. There is always room for policy disagreement. That does not mean you have to become uncivil and disrepectful so you can score points with the Bush haters.

I certainly don't think bush deserves any respect, he has not shown sufficient reason to be grated respect and has done plenty to deserving of disrespect.

[RMNIXON]

On the one hand, Gore has written an un-nostalgic look back at the previous six years that lays out his case as to how the world might look today had the chads fallen another way -- a world where U.S. troops would not be fighting in Iraq, Abu Ghraib would just be a town's name and the nation would have been better prepared for Hurricane Katrina, global warming, and, yes, perhaps even Sept. 11.

But on the other hand, "The Assault On Reason" is an assault on President Bush, 308 pages of professorially rendered, liberal red meat that shuns the cautious language employed by any politician standing to the right of Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, and the left of Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo.

Gore: 'I'm Not a Candidate'

"I'm not a candidate and this is not a political book, this is not a candidate book," Gore told Diane Sawyer on "Good Morning America" Monday. "It's about that there are cracks in the foundation of American democracy that have to be fixed."

In the book, Gore is accusatory, passionate, and angry. He begins discussing the president by accusing him of sharing President Richard Nixon's unprincipled hunger for power -- and the book proceeds to get less complimentary from there. While Gore stops short of flatly calling for the impeachment of Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, he certainly gives the impression that in his view such a move would be well deserved. He calls the president a lawbreaker, a liar and a man with the blood of thousands of innocent lives on his hands.

Most of Gore's ire stems from, not surprisingly, the war in Iraq, a war that Gore opposed from the beginning. Bush, he writes, "has exposed Americans abroad and Americans in every U.S. town and city to a greater danger of attack because of his arrogance and willfulness."

ABC News: Gore Launches Searing Attack on Bush

Now you can see these are not mere Republican talking points unless they have taken over ABC?

Now if you think these kinds of remarks are helping the country with thoughtful dialogue on how to solve real problems about real issues and not just a fantasy about how great the country would be if the lair Bush did not steal the election you are more than welcome to buy the book. But I am still entitled to my opinion.