Al Gore

Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 45th Vice President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He ran for President in 2000 following Bill Clinton's two four-year terms, but was defeated by the Republican candidate George W. Bush in a bitterly contested election that included multiple recounts and a Supreme Court decision that effectively decided the election in favor of Bush. While Gore received the most popular votes, the states Bush won gave him a majority in the U.S. Electoral College and Bush was elected President. The election remains one of the most divisive and controversial topics in recent American politics.

Views and controversies

Al Gore's views are categorized as being those of a liberal. Gore is a strong supporter of abortion rights, free trade, and strong environmental policy. He was a vocal opponent of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and Republican attempts to pass a balanced budget amendment to the United States Constitution.

Related Topics:
Liberal - Abortion - Free trade - Environmental - 2003 invasion of Iraq - United States Constitution

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Though Gore has gradually moved politically further left; he was once a moderate-to-conservative lawmaker. Early in his career, he was pro-life; his Congressional voting record was rated by the National Right to Life Committee as 84% anti-abortion. Through the late 1980s, Gore maintained that abortion destroyed innocent human life. He had adopted a pro-choice position by 1988, when he sought the Democratic presidential nomination. Conservatives have criticized his change as stemming from political expedience rather than conviction.

Related Topics:
Left - Pro-life - National Right to Life Committee - Abortion - Pro-choice

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Gore has also been involved in a number of controversies. His views on environmental policy have sometimes been cast as politically radical, especially during his 2000 presidential campaign. His statement that he "took the initiative in creating the Internet" to describe his sponsorship of legislation to fund the commercialization of the internet has been ridiculed significantly by media, although the statement was defended by Internet pioneers such as Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/200009/msg00052.html. Additionally, conservatives charged Gore with illegal fundraising at a Buddhist temple and illegal use of his government office and telephone for political fundraising in violation of the Hatch Act, although he was never indicted on such a charge.

Related Topics:
Robert Kahn - Vinton Cerf

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