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Inventing Al Gore
Why did Al Gore, after angry opposition to the Vietnam War, submit to the draft? What happened in Vietnam that made him sullen and bitter? After renouncing politics, what set him back on the track mapped out for him? What made him claim (falsely) that he invented the Internet? How closely is he allied with the tobacco industry? What is the real nature of his partnership with Bill Clinton? How was it altered by the Lewinsky affair? INVENTING AL GORE addresses these issues and more as it unveils the true motivations, ideals, and idiosyncracies of one of Washington's most inscrutable men. Bill Turque, who covered both of Gore's vice presidential campaigns and the Clinton White House, draws on extensive access to Gore's key advisers, friends, and family. He unmasks a man who in private can sing and dance to George Strait's music but in public measures every comment and gesture with legendary caution. As Turque details, Gore's great political albatross -- a lack of empathy -- was hatched during his lonely childhood as the product of ambitious political parents who groomed him for the presidency. Turque's keen analysis also uncovers the genesis of Gore's questionable fund-raising and of a political platform laden with worthy but emotionally safe planks such as bioethics, global warming, and the Internet. In addition, Inventing Al Gore illuminates how personal tragedies have shaped his political life and the remarkable influence that women, from his mother to Naomi Wolf, have had on his career.
INVENTING AL GORE reveals Gore to be one of the most intelligent, idealistic men in Washington, yet one who is repeatedly prone to prevarication, exaggeration, and avoidance of hard issues. Turque offers a meticulously researched narrative filled with colorful, insightful details that sharpen the debate over whether Gore can outgrow his limitations and excel in the office he has prepared for all his life.
INVENTING AL GORE reveals Gore to be one of the most intelligent, idealistic men in Washington, yet one who is repeatedly prone to prevarication, exaggeration, and avoidance of hard issues. Turque offers a meticulously researched narrative filled with colorful, insightful details that sharpen the debate over whether Gore can outgrow his limitations and excel in the office he has prepared for all his life.
480 pages, Paperback
First published November 7, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 2, 2013
Not a democrat or republican. Totally independent but still found this a fascinating read. Al Gore is quite an exaggerator (from books I've read that he has written) so it's hard for me to believe the real intelligence. I don't think he is a genius or any more knowledgeable than anyone else in politics. I do think ultimately he is a good person and wants the best for his family and America. I do believe the things he went through in his life affected him majorly good and bad. The author is an excellent writer and took subject matter that could have been boring and made it readable. Hats off to you!
May 31, 2009
My dad wrote this book, so I automatically loved this book. Apperantly it isn't that popular on GR, but I can live with that. I mean, its not exactly the Twilight series or the Maximum Ride book, but I think its an important book to read if you're a Democrat.
September 17, 2018
A good start to understand Al Gore. I went on a trip to Israel he was on as well back in the 1980s. I enjoyed this book which gives insight.
May 10, 2014
Writing of the 1992 election in which Bill Clinton and Al Gore prevailed with 43% of the popular vote, but with 370 electoral votes, Bill Turque notes:
“In the end, however, it was a collapse of faith in George Bush, rather than a great investment of hope in Bill Clinton and Al Gore. Polls showed that many voters remained skittish, with only a limited confidence in the new president-elect. In a sense, they struck the same pragmatic bargain that Gore had made when he became a running mate. Each threw in with a man whose frailties of character were in plain view but who offered other superseding benefits…. Whether he (Gore) would have his chance depended on the political marriage he had just begun. Gore had tied the knot – in sickness and in health, for better or for worse.”
This is not an ‘authorized’ biography of Al Gore. Gore and his then wife turned down all requests for interviews. However, more than 250 people were interviewed and many agreed to speak on the record. The acknowledgements, notes and bibliography take up a full 35% of the Kindle edition. Bill Turque researches deeply and widely and documents meticulously. Bill Turque was assigned by “Newsweek” to cover Al Gore as he campaigned in 1992 and 1996
Met Al Gore briefly when he was Vice President and came to Warsaw, Poland for the 50 year anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in 1993. As a military guy in the embassy I was in charge of "meet and greet" (which we called "grip and grin") formalities at the military Airport and for the laying of the wreath at the tomb of the Polish Unknown Soldier. That doesn’t mean I was by the Vice President’s side, it meant I shook his hand twice then was a hangar on with Polish military counterparts to make sure things ran smoothly. Vice President Gore was unfailingly polite if excruciatingly formal at these events. My buddy, the political counselor in the embassy, sat with me when Al Gore gave a speech to the Polish Sejm (Parliament). The speech was wooden and about three or four years out of date. I turned to my buddy and said something like “Dan, this speech is awful.” He replied something to the effect that “Joe, it was even worse than this, we worked with his handlers until 1 a.m. this morning trying to make it better.” I went "c’mon Dan; didn’t they vet this through State?” Dan just shook his head and stared at the floor.
In part, this is the Al Gore Bill Turque captures in the book -- a man sometimes impervious to others. I wanted to try and find some sympathy for Al Gore when I read this book. I found a short way in that he is a man who lived in his father’s too large shadow for too long. When he almost lost his own son he went through some real soul searching, but it seems to have stopped short and to have been overshadowed by his Presidential ambitions. As I read this book, I found myself reliving the Clinton-Gore years, not as they have been re-imagined and photo shopped as Clinton’s 'legacy' is polished, but as they actually were.
If you want an unvarnished biography of Al Gore which leads up to his decision to run for President, this is the book for you. If you want objective insight into how the Clinton-Gore White House operated, this is the book for you. It is extremely well written and writing about Al Gore is not an easy task. Personally, I think this book should be a standard reference for anyone studying the Clinton Presidency or the 2000 Presidential campaign. It does not cover that campaign, but it provides insight into why Gore campaigned the way he did and, ironically, the same Bush fatigue that led to George Bush’s defeat in 1992 most likely, at least in part, was replaced by Clinton fatigue that led to Gore’s loss in 2000. This book definitely passes the test of time.
(Note: I’ve met Bill Turque twice and I really like him. He is an exceptional interviewer and well, kind of fun. I also know the person he referred to as the “luminous presence” in his life. I do think, however, that she is more of a ‘hoot’ than a “luminous presence.”)
“In the end, however, it was a collapse of faith in George Bush, rather than a great investment of hope in Bill Clinton and Al Gore. Polls showed that many voters remained skittish, with only a limited confidence in the new president-elect. In a sense, they struck the same pragmatic bargain that Gore had made when he became a running mate. Each threw in with a man whose frailties of character were in plain view but who offered other superseding benefits…. Whether he (Gore) would have his chance depended on the political marriage he had just begun. Gore had tied the knot – in sickness and in health, for better or for worse.”
This is not an ‘authorized’ biography of Al Gore. Gore and his then wife turned down all requests for interviews. However, more than 250 people were interviewed and many agreed to speak on the record. The acknowledgements, notes and bibliography take up a full 35% of the Kindle edition. Bill Turque researches deeply and widely and documents meticulously. Bill Turque was assigned by “Newsweek” to cover Al Gore as he campaigned in 1992 and 1996
Met Al Gore briefly when he was Vice President and came to Warsaw, Poland for the 50 year anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in 1993. As a military guy in the embassy I was in charge of "meet and greet" (which we called "grip and grin") formalities at the military Airport and for the laying of the wreath at the tomb of the Polish Unknown Soldier. That doesn’t mean I was by the Vice President’s side, it meant I shook his hand twice then was a hangar on with Polish military counterparts to make sure things ran smoothly. Vice President Gore was unfailingly polite if excruciatingly formal at these events. My buddy, the political counselor in the embassy, sat with me when Al Gore gave a speech to the Polish Sejm (Parliament). The speech was wooden and about three or four years out of date. I turned to my buddy and said something like “Dan, this speech is awful.” He replied something to the effect that “Joe, it was even worse than this, we worked with his handlers until 1 a.m. this morning trying to make it better.” I went "c’mon Dan; didn’t they vet this through State?” Dan just shook his head and stared at the floor.
In part, this is the Al Gore Bill Turque captures in the book -- a man sometimes impervious to others. I wanted to try and find some sympathy for Al Gore when I read this book. I found a short way in that he is a man who lived in his father’s too large shadow for too long. When he almost lost his own son he went through some real soul searching, but it seems to have stopped short and to have been overshadowed by his Presidential ambitions. As I read this book, I found myself reliving the Clinton-Gore years, not as they have been re-imagined and photo shopped as Clinton’s 'legacy' is polished, but as they actually were.
If you want an unvarnished biography of Al Gore which leads up to his decision to run for President, this is the book for you. If you want objective insight into how the Clinton-Gore White House operated, this is the book for you. It is extremely well written and writing about Al Gore is not an easy task. Personally, I think this book should be a standard reference for anyone studying the Clinton Presidency or the 2000 Presidential campaign. It does not cover that campaign, but it provides insight into why Gore campaigned the way he did and, ironically, the same Bush fatigue that led to George Bush’s defeat in 1992 most likely, at least in part, was replaced by Clinton fatigue that led to Gore’s loss in 2000. This book definitely passes the test of time.
(Note: I’ve met Bill Turque twice and I really like him. He is an exceptional interviewer and well, kind of fun. I also know the person he referred to as the “luminous presence” in his life. I do think, however, that she is more of a ‘hoot’ than a “luminous presence.”)
December 3, 2017
This was a great book about Tennessee history and the Gore's role in that and Washington, DC. Learned about Frank Clement, Estes Kefauver, Boss Crump of Memphis, etc.
Three things rang a personal note because I had experience with them . I saw Gore debate and trounce Victor Ashe in the US Senate race at UTK student center. I later went to Israel with a UJA and the Gore family and advisor Leon Furth among others attended. I got to watch this group play out on a group trip.,quite the experience. Found his time with Nashville newspapers interesting as well.
I read this one to get it off the old bookshelf. I am practicing a catch and release form of book reading and ownership, I read one now and trade it/ cut I loose for the next person to enjoy.
Three things rang a personal note because I had experience with them . I saw Gore debate and trounce Victor Ashe in the US Senate race at UTK student center. I later went to Israel with a UJA and the Gore family and advisor Leon Furth among others attended. I got to watch this group play out on a group trip.,quite the experience. Found his time with Nashville newspapers interesting as well.
I read this one to get it off the old bookshelf. I am practicing a catch and release form of book reading and ownership, I read one now and trade it/ cut I loose for the next person to enjoy.
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February 15, 2012It's taking forever for me to get through this book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews