Let us now praise famous men.
Let us in particular praise Al Gore because, well, because he’s
just so darned human.
Starts out as slightly wacky scion of famously wacky
political/moneyed family in Tennessee. Big reputation as irascible
and hard to deal with in the U.S. Senate. But hooks himself up with
the ultimate smooth talker, Bill Clinton. Gets to be Vice
President. Was sure that he could bully his way into the White
House. Literally physically menaces George W. Bush in 2000 debate
(attempt to win votes of unlimited martial arts fans).
But instead of stealing the election as he thought he could and
would, he was stopped in his tracks by Karl Rove in Florida.
Now, he becomes the world guru of green power. He preaches day
and night about how burning oil and gas will kill the planet. Makes
hundreds of millions of dollars from “alternative energy” projects,
usually subsidized by the taxpayers — which means subsidized by
the stockholders of oil companies — you and me and every other
person in this country who has a pension.
For his heroic service to our planet, for fighting the evil
powers that are choking mother earth by burning oil and gas, he
receives the Nobel Peace Prize. (Later awarded to Barack Obama for…
well, no one knows what for… I’ll get back to you on that.)
Two years ago, roughly, starts a cable TV channel to advance
progressive causes and green energy. The channel, “Current” is a
total and utter commercial flop. Just a complete zero. It has some
great people, like my pal, Eliot Spitzer, but it loses money
fast.
Then, along comes the Emir of Qatar, a small country in the
Persian Gulf that is a prodigious producer of fossil fuels,
especially natural gas, but also oil. He has founded some years
earlier a worldwide cable channel called Al Jazeera. It is
extremely well funded and has many bureaus all over the world. It
is not exactly or explicitly a pro-terrorist entity. But it has
been known to celebrate terrorists, even those who kill four year
old Israeli girls by bashing their heads against stone. (See
Monday’s superb column by
Gordon Crovitz in the WSJ on this subject.) It is
certainly not an enemy of fossil fuels.
The Emir or his employees want a presence in the U.S. So,
there’s Current which has virtually no viewers ( typical day part
— 23,000 ) but which appears on many cable systems.
The Emir buys Current from Al Gore and his fellow players for
roughly $500 million — or about $22,000 per viewer — a sum never
even approached in a cable TV deal before. Al Gore will get about
$70-100 million.
And all of that stuff about “green energy”? Hey, that’s so 2007,
pal. The “green energy” we all like is the Benjamins. They are the
kind of green we all like to burn.
And giving a network that is often (not always) friendly to
terrorists a foothold on the cable? Well, that 9/11 stuff was over
11 years ago, man. And besides, money is what talks. Blood dries
quickly. Money is evergreen, right?
The terrifying thought, the one that really makes me gasp, is
that this man, this very human Al Gore, was almost President. Time
for a prayer of thanks for the gift of Karl Rove. Just think about
it… this guy could have been President!
Luckily, now we have a President who just appointed a man who
voted not to sanction Iran for making a nuclear bomb, one of only
two out of 100 in the Senate, who sneers at “The Jewish Lobby” (not
the Israel Lobby, the “Jewish Lobby” — and here, I am indebted to
Bret
Stephens, also of the Journal, for pointing out the
important difference), and who wants America to abandon a
leadership role in the world. Luckily, we have a President “in the
mainstream” who just appointed Chuck Hagel, another fellow “in the
mainstream,” to be Secretary of Defense… and that appointment was
heartily endorsed by the Foreign Minister of Iran — part of a
government that does not believe Jews are even human beings, that
believes it is God’s will that Iran KILL EVERY JEW ON THE PLANET.
Yes, that’s what a mainstream appointment this is. Hagel is
endorsed by a government that believes Jews are not human.
Can this possibly even be happening? It can be and it is.
I will just close on this terrifying note: A man who knows
friends of Mr. O says that his goal is to be the first ex-President
to make a billion dollars. Let’s see… who has unlimited money and
likes to spend it on retired high-ranking Democrat politicians?
