Al Gore will deliver a policy speech tomorrow on freedom and security. The event is sponsored by MoveOn.org and the American Constitution Society, and will be presented live at 2:00 pm on C-Span and on a live webcast, also sponsored by MoveOn. An e-mail I received from MoveOn described the speech this way:
"In this, his third major speech on the Administration's response to terrorism, Mr. Gore will describe the Administration's assault on our civil liberties as un-American and will charge that the Bush/Ashcroft attack on the Constitution is actually a smokescreen that obscures the Administrations fundamental failure to meaningfully protect our national security, and that their efforts have weakened rather than strengthened America.
"In August, Mr. Gore delivered a speech (read the speech here)sponsored by MoveOn that opened a space for other leaders to speak out against the Bush Administration's deliberate use of false impressions to mislead the nation on war, taxes, the economy and the environment. That speech did nothing less than shift the terms of the national debate, and we expect this speech to have as big an impact."
I watched Gore's speech in August, and it only made me sorrier that he wasn't running for president this time around. I suspect that this speech will provide more of those same yearnings I have to see him run. Contrary to popular belief, I think Gore writes inspired speeches and I think his delivery, though sometimes wooden, doesn't fall as short on passion as others claim. I think Gore's speech might fill the void that is present in the lack of passion that we are getting from the current crop of Democratic candidates, and though many will say that he is trying to steal the other democrats' thunder, I say that he is just raising the bar in an attempt to push them to reach further.
I highly recommend watching this speech. I don't think you will regret it. However, even if it turns out to be a bad speech, you are not going to hear me say it. I like Al too much for that.