Gore Calls Bush a 'Moral Coward'

[cthrumatrix]

Gore Calls Bush a 'Moral Coward'
Environmental Policies Decried as Driven by Campaign Funds
By Eric Pianin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 16, 2004; Page A10


Former vice president Al Gore called President Bush "a moral coward" yesterday for allegedly tailoring his policies on global warming and other environmental and energy matters to benefit his allies in the coal, oil and mining industries.

In a stinging assessment of the president's environmental record, Gore criticized Bush for reneging on his 2000 campaign pledge to regulate carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas blamed by many scientists for Earth's rising temperature, and for launching a "totally meaningless" voluntary program after disavowing a 1997 international accord negotiated in Kyoto, Japan, that imposed mandatory emissions cuts.

Gore also complained that Bush has appointed many industry lobbyists and lawyers to key policy and regulatory posts, that his administration has "routinely" drafted new regulations that favor industry and that the Environmental Protection Agency has slowed the cleanup of toxic waste sites under the Superfund program.

"While President Bush likes to project an image of strength and courage, the truth is that, in the presence of his large financial contributors, he is a moral coward -- so weak that he seldom if ever says 'no' to them on anything -- no matter what the public interest might mandate," Gore said.

snip

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21077-2004Jan15.html

Comment
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I read the O'Neill book. I was surprised to see the story of Christine Whitman's detailed experience with Bush on the above. She gathered alliances on his campaign statements. Bush never told her how he thought or gave coaching...so she went out and sold what 'she thought he wanted".....after the fact "he pulled out the rug"--major egg on her face. Furthermore -- same approach is documented with energy policy-- it's all special interests.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

1. Great...

... I was really hoping that Ted Kennedy's speech at the American Progressive deal two days ago would get the ball rolling on the immoral behaviors of this administration.

edit:typo :dem:

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[saigon68]

27. Moral Coward? --How about Cowardly Draft-Dodger???

or National Guard Deserter.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

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[xxqqqzme]

4. 'moral coward' is the perfect

label 4 squatter.

Is Gore the author of this series of speeches spnsored by MoveOn? All of these speeches have been excellent.

[ithacan]

5. Bush is worse than a coward, worse than a chickenhawk

he and his guys are absolute cowards: all for war as long as someone else has to go fight.

Afraid of actually engaging anyone who disagrees; thus the "first amendment zones" to keep poor cowardly W away from those bad people who disagree with him.

Afraid of the press: thus their attitude mirroring repressive right-wing regimes the world over, that the press should just parrot the official line, cheerlead for the president, and not ask tough questions (see New Yorker piece by Auletta on this...)

Bush is the ultimate in cowardice , just like Cheney and the rest of their gang.

[Name removed]

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[0007]

7. Gore has got it right junior is a moral coward, nothing else matters at

at this point. I'm sure there is plenty out there to prove you wrong. Garbage in garbage out thingy won't cut it!

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

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[0007]

12. Your doing the bidding,

[Art_from_Ark]

18. You obviously have no clue about Gore and Kyoto

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Vice President
------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Immediate Release
Thursday, November 12, 1998 Contact:
[phone]

STATEMENT BY VICE PRESIDENT GORE
ON THE UNITED STATES' SIGNING OF THE KYOTO PROTOCOL

"Our signing today of the Kyoto Protocol reaffirms America's commitment to meeting our most profound environmental challenge -- global climate change."

http://clinton4.nara.gov/CEQ/19981112-7936.html

[are_we_united_yet]

40. Amongst other things

I bet

[Bridget Burke]

9. Hey, you live in Atlanta!

How exciting. Please, tell us what it was like to boo Bush at the MLK monument. Lots of us were envying Atlantans yesterday.

Or were you at the $2000 a plate fundraiser? Or were you one of those who couldn't afford it but still think that Bush is working for you? Guess you were really happy when he was made president, since you hate Gore so much.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

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[Rainbowreflect]

11. What did he make up?

Tell me one thing he made up. Not things he said that were twisted & spun by the right. But something he actually lied about.

[SammyWinstonJack]

14. That ain't likely to happen

;-)

[ellie]

16. Yes, dustypen,

please tell me what Al Gore lied about. I really would like to know.

[tapper]

19. Who lied?

>>I wasnt happy when Gore LOST Tenessee and thus the election. He came across in the debates and campaigns as a two faced liar b/c he made so much shit up that they called him on.

It wasn't that Gore lied. It was the press that kept saying, 'gore lied' 'gore lied', while completely ignoring Bush's falsehoods. Might try searching on http://www.dailyhowler.com for examples of 2000, and what they're doing now.

[newyawker99]

38. Hi tapper!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

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[mac56]

25. Dustypen? Where are you?

Still waiting on that list of "Gore lies".

(...listening to crickets chirp...)

[Robb]

13. I like the cut

...of this guy's jib. I wonder where he was during the 2000 campaign? :eyes:

[PATRICK]

17. In Florida

working for Harris? Is dustpen a tombstone candidate? I noted at least two heavy clues in his brief and factless rant.

[Maeve]

20. He was taking too many hits

By folks who wanted to paint him as a "liar" so no one would notice who really WAS mis-representing himself.

He actually was rather popular back then...more so than that bozo who ended up in the White House.

[snippy]

15. Gore was wrong. Bush is an immoral coward.

[fshrink]

33. Exactly.

[Snivi Yllom]

21. where was Gore with the tough talk in 2000?

He blew it in 2000 y not being tough enough. 3 years too late Al. It's time for some new blood to take on the GOP.

[Rose Siding]

22. Clearly, no one agrees with this wacky Gore!

At least, the only 3 people the Post sought comment from disagree unanamously. :eyes:

[bigwillq]

24. Would Gore get banned on DU for calling Shrub "A Moral Coward"?

[Maeve]

26. Of course not!

Look thru the rules; the only insults that can get you in trouble are those aimed at other DUers and progressives. Dubya is neither. (And were he to register on DU, he would probably get tombstoned on his first post)

[bigwillq]

28. Thanks. I was just wondering.

[w4rma]

29. Darn straight! * IS a moral coward! (n/t)

[yellowcanine]

30. Both a moral coward and an immoral coward, imo

Cowardly when it comes to the tough moral choices, as well as being immoral as evidenced by his willingness to lie to the American people and a general coward as evidenced by his unwillingness to talk to audiences that disagree with his policies.

[Voltaire99]

31. Bravo, Gore

Along with his speech to MoveOn.org, Gore's looking better to me the further he travels from the 2000 debacle. I wish he'd mustered this kind of courage and passion back when it would have helped, but he's at least proving that he can be effective on the sidelines.

For more on this matter, see Krugman's current column discussing how nice-guy optimism won't make a dent in Bush in 2004. It's time to kick ass.

[Clyde39]

32. Bush never says "No" to any major contributors

Money makes the world go around!

[jbm]

34. I'm thinking he could have left off the 'moral' part..n/t

.

[Robbien]

35. Ha, true so true. eom

[young_at_heart]

36. I can think of a few other words to call him

Coward is just one of many!

[TheDalaiMama]

37. Right on Al.....good call.

dalai

[Comadreja]

39. Outrageous!

Liberals have no right to be angry or sarcastic, that's for Anthrax Coulter and Flush Limpballs et al. But this is great. . .Democrats open up the big guns on Bush at last and his popularity starts to slip. Fire at will, boys!

[Nlighten1]

41. Who saw this?

I watched some highlights of this on FSTV. Gore was smoking. He was really tearing Bush up. When I see him talking like this I just wish he hadn't bowed out of the race.