It's Time for Al Gore to Speak Out.

Is he or isn't he?


As I have already stated, I have no idea whether Al Gore is guilty or innocent of the charge an Oregon woman has leveled at him of sexual assault back in 2006. With the evidence we have seen, you couldn't put a dog in the pound. Yet, Gore, being a public figure, needs to make a personal statement. It is not enough that his lawyers and spokesholes deny the accusation. Gore needs to do it. Yes, the story was broken by the National Enquirer, a tabloid. Unfortunately for Gore, he can't just dismiss the story as coming from a trashy tabloid (that in recent years has been pretty accurate-just ask John Edwards).

Now that the police in Oregon are re-opening the case, if I were Gore, and the charges were false, I would get on that private jet of mine and fly to Portland to make himself available for an interview. I wouldn't make the police fly to Tennessee.

Secondly, I would appear before the press and answer their questions publicly. If he sincerely intends to continue his global warming crusade, then he needs to lift this veil of suspicion which could conceivably haunt him the rest of his life.

There are some legitimate questions that he would have to answer. For example, why was he registered in a hotel as Mr Stone? A reasonable answer would be that due to his celebrity, he always asks the hotel to register him under another name. I would accept that-as long as that is his normal practice. Another question that must be asked of a famous man like Gore is this: Some famous men who rely on a spotless personal reputation have made it a practice to never allow themselves to be alone in a room with a woman they are not married to. (Billy Graham comes to mind.) Now, here again, it may be that this incident never took place, and the accuser never even was in Gore's room. Yet, if she was there to perform a legitimate massage, didn't Gore have enough sense not to have a strange woman come to his room? And why would a famous guy like Gore be lying there naked under a towel? Didn't he think that maybe, just maybe, this strange woman might take advantage of the situation and her famous client. Let's say the woman was there to give Al Gore a legitimate massage. Doesn't that still show lousy judgment on Gore's part?

Again, I am not trying to try Gore here. I don't know what happened. Furthermore, even if his DNA is found on this woman's pants and it matches Gore, all that suggests is some form of sexual contact. The issue of whether it was forced or not is not addressed. But these are questions that millions of people are thinking they would love to ask the former vice-president. If he really wants to vindicate himself, he should answer those questions to the public's satisfaction. If he can't or won't, his credibility is suspect.

So Mr. Gore, did you request a massage in the hotel room that night? Did this woman come to your room? If the answer to both those questions is No, then there is nothing more you need to say. If the answer is Yes, then more questions are in order.

What happened or didn't happen? What were you thinking as a world famous crusader against global warming and former vice president putting yourself alone in a hotel room with a strange woman and being naked under a towel? Did it ever occur to you that you could be exploited with a false charge of sexual assault?

In addition, if she does have DNA that matches yours, is there any possible (innocent) explanation for that? Was there consensual sex?

Of course, Mr Gore can refuse to answer any questions from the police or press as is his right. If he does that, it is still a long stretch that there is a prosecutable case against him. However, even if he is never charged, if he wants to continue as a public figure, he needs to set the public's mind to rest. Of course, most of the tree-huggers will believe him no matter what. His accuser is already saying that her tree-hugger friends were telling her to "suck it up" because if Gore were taken down, the world would be destroyed by global warming. (Of course, that too is unconfirmed).





"Only Al Gore can save the world from Global Warming."

(Where's my towel?)

To sum it all up, this charge probably will never be proved, but if Gore wants to clear his name and continue as a serious public figure, he needs to stand up himself and tell the world it is false.