Reply #10: Sword hangs over Alex Penelas

[w4rma]

Sword hangs over Alex Penelas

``I was an early and strong supporter of Al Gore. I helped him and President Clinton raise millions of dollars and I helped him win Miami-Dade County by 30,000 votes.''

-- Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas

When Alex Penelas made those comments last month, they created an uproar. Anyone who actually followed the 2000 presidential election remembers Penelas abandoned Gore in the final months of the race, and worse, had turned his back on his supposed friend during the infamous Florida recount.

And yet in recent weeks, Penelas has been trying to rewrite that history. Campaigning to be the state's Democratic nominee next year for the United States Senate, Penelas has portrayed himself as a party stalwart who stood shoulder to shoulder with Gore.

Penelas' words angered his rivals.

U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch, who is also running for the Senate seat being vacated by Bob Graham, referred to Penelas as ``a pathological liar.''

U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, another Senate contender, laughed at the notion Penelas helped Gore, describing Penelas instead as ``a negative inside the Democratic Party machinery.''

All this rancor made me wonder if Al Gore had heard about the mayor's boastful claims that he was a ''strong supporter'' of the former vice president and that he was instrumental in helping Gore gather votes in Miami-Dade County.

''I had heard that, yes,'' Gore told me when I reached him by phone on Saturday.

What did he think of the mayor's revisionist memory?

Gore paused for a moment.

''I don't have any comment on that,'' he said. ``I would just prefer not to comment on it.''

But then he quickly added: ``I don't rule out commenting on it at a later time, but I don't care to comment on it right now.''

And to make sure I heard him, he said it again: ``I don't rule out commenting on it at some point in the future.''

Well, that ought to give Penelas a few sleepless nights. Gore is holding the proverbial sword over Penelas' head, allowing the mayor to squirm, and letting him know that some day soon he might talk candidly about his old friend.
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http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/columnists/jim_defede/6291255.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

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Democrats accuse Miami-Dade County mayor, Alex Penelas of betrayal for not recounting ballots
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http://www.burrelles.com/transcripts/nbc/toda0012.htm