My letter to Time mag about Joe Klein's comment about Al Gore:

[milkyway]

Here's the link to Klein's column this week. In speaking of Gore in 2008, Klein says Gore has tons of baggage because he "has been curdled by anger over his loss in 2000."
http://www.time.com/time/columnist/klein/article/0,9565,1198859,00.html

Here's my Letter to the Editor:

In your June 5 issue, Joe Klein says, "Gore has been curdled by anger over his loss in 2000." Klein gives no evidence to support this statement. Certainly, any human being in Al Gore's position after the disputed 2000 election would feel a range of emotions. But Klein is saying Gore has been permanently curdled, or hardened, by his anger over 2000, as if it is all-consuming and thus making him unfit for office.

Is Klein basing this statement on Gore's series of speeches he's given over the last few years? Gore did show anger in these speeches, but it wasn't anger over the result of 2000--it was anger over the policies of the Burn-the-Constitution-First crowd that's currently in power. What patriot wouldn't feel anger when he's constantly told by the Bush admininstration that the United States of America as constituted by the Founding Fathers is incapable of defending itself? That its citizens can't have both liberty and security--the United States is simply too weak to provide both (at least under the Bush administration).

Again, where is Klein's evidence for his harsh statement about Gore? Or is Klein doing what the mainstream media has done for years: create a caricature of a Democratic candidate, and then write stories in the future that fit their pre-ordained storyline, distorting or fabricating evidence as necessary? Will Klein, like Bush, come to his conclusion first, and then tailor the evidence to fit it?

Also, Klein's use of the word "curdled" is telling. It has a far stronger negative connotation than a word such as "hardened." It is an ugly-sounding word that people associate with being permanently spoiled, or ruined.

Then speaking of Hillary Clinton in the very next sentence, Klein gets just plain stupid. He says, "Clinton will always be known as the wife of that other Clinton." Oh, really? Does Klein really think that if Hillary were to become the first female President and have to deal with the enormous problems she will have inherited (see George, W.), that after four years, or eight, she would be known only as Bill Clinton's wife? No. She will be known as President Hillary Clinton, the first female President of the United Sates. And Bill Clinton will become known as Hillary Clinton's husband, who also served as President.

One more piece of idiocy from Klein: "We baby boomers have not proved very adept at running the show." There have been exactly two baby boomer presidents running the show: Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. To lump the Clinton presidency in with the Bush, Jr. presidency is ludicrous. Under Clinton, government was competent, improved people's lives, and gave us relative peace and prosperity. It's not the baby boomers who have failed. It's the Bush administration and media sycophants like Joe Klein.

By the way, do the Time editors realize how ridiculous the magazine seems this week by placing the Klein column directly after the Al Gore article? Karen Tumulty's three-page Gore article is the first main news article, and it only discusses Gore and a potential presidential candidacy in 2008. Global warming was not discussed. Turning the page, we find Klein's article, "Barack Obama Isn't Not Running for President." Klein's first two sentences read: "It was the sort of week that drives serious politicians crazy. Both Al Gore and Hillary Clinton had important things to say about global warming and energy independence—and the chatterati spent most of their time ignoring the messages and gossiping about the messengers."

Klein uses the derisive word "chatterati" as if he, nor Time, is a part of it. Klein is way too serious a person for that kind of gossip! He then proceeds to spend his column chattering about Obama's chances in the horse race in 2008, which followed three pages of Karen Tumulty chattering about the horse race in 2008. Meanwhile, the Constitution burns.

P.S. I do wish to commend you not only for the report on the war in Congo, but also for the decision to give it the cover. Thank you.

[DainBramaged]

1. Joe Klien does not speak for us anymore.

I wonder if he is now part of the Bishy propaganda for pay cabal? He has been converted by the Dark Side, and should be shunned as we shun Tweety.

[baldguy]

2. The MSM doesn't let facts get in the way of a good story.

What they think of as a good story, anyway.

[gratuitous]

3. Good letter

A bit overlong, but I'm guessing you weren't submitting it for publication. I would have found it very difficult to avoid saying that perhaps Klein would be better off writing anonymously again if that little column is the best he can do.

[ovidsen]

4. Tighten it up

It's a very good letter. I especially like the way you take Klein to task for using the word "curdled". It suggests "bitter" and "defeated", and Gore hasn't been that. Angry? You betcha! But curdled? Give me a frigging break.

But you know a letter this long will never be published as is, unless they heavily edit it. And Lord knows you do NOT want that! I'd excise the "chatterati" reference and criticism of his stupid "baby boomer" generalizations and focus on how Klein treated Gore so dismissively and why it was intellectually dishonest for him to do so.

Just my $0.02 worth....

[milkyway]

5. I didn't really intend it for publication, although I assume some of the

letters that appear in the mag are just a portion of the actual letter. It was more of a rant, too harsh for publication by Time. We need to let the mainstream media know that we're watching for bias and outright falsehoods. The media swiftboated Gore and Kerry, and Klein seems like he's ready to start already on 2008.