Customer Reviews

Gore

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This is the book that cost the author, Bob Zelnick, his job at ABC. He chose to write an objective, even handed, biography of Al Gore - the man who is well positioned to become the next presidential candidate of the Democratic Party. That was not what our leading liberal network wanted to see from its employees.

The book looks clearly and honestly at the real Al Gore, not the Al Gore that you will see represented by political "spinners" and their cohorts in the media. It fully documents the opportunism and hypocrisy that has marked his career - ranging from his "flips" on tobacco and abortion, to his phony "tour of duty" in Nam, to the his environmental extremism, etc. - but doesn't ignore the accomplishments; his support of the Gulf War and of Ronald Regan's strategic nuclear decisions for instance. If you want to know the truth about the man, and cut through the smog that will shortly be emanating from the political spinners and their focus groups - read this boo

I had remembered Bob Zelnick losing his job from ABC for writing this book and can't believe that he did. There are no new revelations per se, but I don't think that was the aim of the book. It is a critical analysis of the manner in which Gore has dramaticaly switched his positions on issues like the environment and abortion-and is well documented to boot. Surprisingly, there has not been a book on Gore to date. We should know who our next potential president is. This book paves the way and is written in true journalistic fashion. A must read for!!

I think this book is a pretty fair assessment of Vice President Al Gore. Bob Zelnick would appear to have given Gore a fair shake and a balanced treatment of the facts. But the message one gets is that Gore is an enigma. He is a man seemingly devoted to truth, justice and family. But he has also seemed willing to sacrifice all of the above if it has meant advancing him one step closer to his ultimate goal - the presidency. The fact that Gore is politically expedient isn't especially revealing. However, unlike most politicians, Gore doesn't think he is doing wrong or being expedient when he sacrifices principle for political gain. In fact, he seems to go out of his way to rewrite history so that he comes out looking clean. If elected, he certainly would restore some semblance of honor back to the White House; but that isn't saying much considering how far his boss has lowered the respectability of that institution. But Gore seems too much like his boss in that he is politically spineless and because of his tendency to stretch or obscure the truth. And his ideas on the environment are way out there on the fringes. I'm not sure I want a man adhering to pseudo-science to be the ultimate say in economic decisions for America. I think Bob Zelnick has done a service in presenting a comprehensive picture of Gore and I believe every American voter should read this book in order to become more informed for Election 2000.

This is a professionally researched and written biography, and an important contribution to the political scene. Perhaps its only flaw is to focus a little heavily on the vice president's political expediency. But in light of the pass that is often given to Al Gore's questionable biographical summary by other media outlets, this book helps balance the scales.

I can take the good and the bad with any candidate. I love presidential elections and relish the time of year they occur. I read whatever I can get my hands on regarding any and all candidates, Republican, Democrat, etc. - I enjoy learning about the people running, one of whom, will probably end up being president.

This book could have been better, except for the fact that the author takes any and all occasion to make something negative, even if the occasion is not warrented. I have to say, I also don't like "white wash" books that make a candidate look like the perfect person, who's never done anything wrong (who of us can really say that?).

Early on in the book, Zelnick mentions that soon after graduating high school, Gore broke up with a steady girl friend. Zelnick then mentions that she burned the love letters he sent her at a time in her life when she was about to be married. Up to now, this is a nice fact, good reporting, but then Zelnick adds - "or so she claims!" It's like having a book written by Hard Copy! Obiously Zelnick is one of those writers who after being told by the subject that they will not cooperate and asks that his friends take the same stance cannot rise above this, but feels that he needs to exact his revenge by making the smallest fact seem negative.

This is a shame as the body of the book, the facts, the research, etc. are quite good and thourough, which is why I give it two stars instead of one.

I am a Republican who probably won't vote for Gore--but nevertheless, I found this book to be a recklessly partisan, relentlessly stupid pile of dung.

Zelnick "piles it on" in order to make Gore look like an extremist. Even the index contains references to Gore as "extremist" and even "Marxist." To name a few examples:

1. Zelnick says that govt. spending as a percent of GNP has grown during the Clinton administration (to defang Gore's "reinventing government" tall talk). This statement is simply false, as anyone can learn by reading the Statistical Abstract of the United States (put out by the Census Bureau).

2. Zelnick stigmatizes Gore as a nut for bringing up the theory of global warming. And indeed, Zelnick could have plausibly pointed out that there is no real scientific consensus about the issue (despite Gore's claims to the contrary). Instead, Zelnick overplays his hand, trying to leave the impression that only Al Gore and the Unambomber worry about global warming.

3. Zelnick even goes after Gore's father, which is just plain disgraceful. He also describes the TVA as a "government monopoly" -- technically true, perhaps, but meaningless since most utilities are highly regulated monopolies, a fact Zelnick carefully leaves out.

If I had the time and a copy of the book in front of me, I could name more examples of Zelnick's silliness.

Conservatives have often pointed out (usually with some cause) that reporters are liberals who write the story they want to write. But Zelnick is living proof that the converse can be true as well.

It's a pity some will judge this book by its publisher.

The rampant media bias is evident in the fact that Mr. Zelnik, the author, was fired from his network job when the higher-ups couldn't bully him into silence. Imagine a similar situation if a reporter was about to release a similar book about Newt Gingrich, Dan Quayle, Ronald Reagan or any other Republican in the mainstream media sights.

Of course, Mr. Zelnik had to get the book publisher he did. The others have inhaled the essence of the liberal orthodoxy.

The book is even-handed and reveals little- reported tidbits about the man who burns millions of pounds of jet fuel to (among other things) chastise us about driving our cars.

There is little question about the author's feelings in this book. He obviously doesn't like Al Gore. But the fact that Mr. Zelnick is so candid about his partisanship is refreshing. He doesn't pretend to be objective. And there is actually a lot of interesting information contained within it. This is by no means the "definitive" biography of the vice-president but I think that it contributes well to the political dialogue. A good read if you appreciate it's limitations.

Al Gore is a darling of the liberal media. This media, which crucified Dan Quayle over a single misspelled word, consistently refuses to call Al Gore to account for his Walter Mitty like self-delusional musings.

While reading Gore: A Political Life, you wonder how this man could possibly be a Congressman, Senator, and now Vice President - with all the time he spent cleaning up hog waste with a shovel; clearing land with a double bladed ax; plowing steep hillsides with a mule team; taking up hay in the hot sun only to go help the neightbors after supper so their crop wouldn't spoil, while simultaneously raising tobacco, inspiring the book and movie "Love Story," and inventing the Internet.

Al Gore has never lived in the real world, never held a real job, and never faced a private sector problem. Raised as the only son of and groomed as heir apparent to a powerful political figure, this rich, preppy, spoiled brat, attended the finest of exclusive private schools (St. Albans); deluded himself in the ivy league, (at Hahvahd); and studied law (at Vanderbilt) while preparing to succeed his father, the Senator from Tennessee. Yet with all this education, when he visited Monticello on the famed bus trip with Bill Clinton, he failed to recognize the busts of famous Americans on display. And after arriving in Washington, Gore even got lost walking in the forest around the nation's capitol. Did you hear any of this in the media?

But now comes Bob Zelnick, the long-time respected correspondent for ABC News who lost his job at ABC for just announcing an attempt to chronicle the life of the front running Democrat candidate in 2000. In Gore: A Political Life, Zelnick explores the reality of the man behind the shell, showing us how Al Gore, the legacy of Bill Clinton, represents the worst of the baby boomer generation. The public Al Gore is a media package, a self-styled demagogue, and a perfect example of someone who may actually believe in his own mythology.

While the rest of the baby boomers have been occupied with education, working for a living, and raising families, Bill Clinton and Al Gore have pursued the political life, promising whatever is necessary to an ever expanding constituency in order to advance their individual political careers. Discover the truth behind the Buddhist temple fundraiser, the tobacco lobby contributions, and the flip-flops of Gore's positions on abortion, and the environment. Learn about the "shakedowns" conducted from the White House by this member of "the most ethical administration in U.S. history" and how only Janet Reno's continued unwillingness to appoint an Independent Counsel saved the Vice President from possible indictment.. The only consistent way to explain our hero's pattern of behavior seems to be "When money talks, Al Gore listens."

You will not see any of this side of Al in the media. The American public got burned when we failed to learn about the character issue of Bill Clinton. But now, watch Gore, the environmental extremist, who in the face of scientific evidence chooses to attack the character of scientists rather than confront the facts about "global warming. Relying on "junk science" to advance his agenda, he attempts to "kill the oppostion", a lesson learned from Bill Clinton.

This book goes a long way toward exposing the real Al Gore. It is essential for any serious voter to take the time to read and examine this well-written, informative contemporary biography.

Gore might be the next Democratic Party Presidential candidate. This revealing book goes into depth about Gore's political views and character, providing excellent examples. It is well researched. There is also a chapter on Tipper Gore's initial foray into the labelling of music for content. I highly recommend this book -- very readable. Kudos to Bob Zelnick!!