I only caught about the last half on C-Span, but I was impressed. I wonder were that Al Gore was in 2000, if he showed up then I may even have voted for him.
I'm not going to post whole thing here it'd be to long. The gist of the speech had to do with congress ceding its responsibility of being a check on the executive, both Republicans and Democrats.
If your interesting here's a link to the speech as prepared.
http://www.algore04.com/

It's an Al Gore speech. Anything different and I'd say you made this up.

Al Gore has the potential to be the new Howard Dean of the 2008 campaign.

Video here for those too lazy to read: http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/01/16.html#a6728

They guy who embarasses the democrats so badly that they lose what should be a sure-thing?

There are many people who still believe he won, and probably many more who wish he did.

Does anyone have a link to a transcript?

*many more who wish he did than there were in 2000.

The Rude Pundit liked this particular excerpt from Gore's speech, and so do I. I also liked som of the Rude One's commentary, so I included that as well.

1/17/2006
While Gore Walks Upright, Gonzales Hunches in the Ditch:

Man, someone spiked Al Gore's coffee with spinach yesterday, 'cause he went all Popeye on the Bush administration's Bluto ass. Here's the Rude Pundit's favorite section from Al Gore's erection-inspiring speech yesterday:

"The founders of our country faced dire threats. If they failed in their endeavors, they would have been hung as traitors. The very existence of our country was at risk.

"Yet, in the teeth of those dangers, they insisted on establishing the Bill of Rights.

"Is our Congress today in more danger than were their predecessors when the British army was marching on the Capitol? Is the world more dangerous than when we faced an ideological enemy with tens of thousands of missiles poised to be launched against us and annihilate our country at a moment's notice? Is America in more danger now than when we faced worldwide fascism on the march -- when our fathers fought and won two World Wars simultaneously?

"It is simply an insult to those who came before us and sacrificed so much on our behalf to imply that we have more to be fearful of than they. Yet they faithfully protected our freedoms and now it is up to us to do the same."

Goddamn, it's such in-yer-fookin'-gob rhetoric, innit? Here's Bush, who in speech after speech makes some variation on the same stupid statement, as he did on January 11: " said that [i]after September the 11th, that oceans no longer protected us. You know, when I was growing up, or other baby boomers here were growing up, we felt safe because we had these vast oceans that could protect us from harm's way. September the 11th changed all that." And then here's Gore, calling complete and utter bullshit on that idiotic line, that the oceans couldn't even protect us from the wind-driven ships of the British, let alone Soviet ICBMs.

But the other thing Gore is doing is good ol' locker room politics: he's calling Bush a dickhead. "You want threats?" Gore is saying. "Dude, you only gotta keep track of a couple hundred goatfuckers who shit in holes on the side of a mountain. Try dealin' with a few million Soviets. God, stop being a dickhead about it and just do your job without fucking up the joint too much, a'ight?"

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Seriously, how can anybody say that as a "baby boomer" they felt safe with the vast oceans protecting them? I guess at Exeter, or Andover, or Choate or wherever the fuck W went to school, they didn't have "duck-and-cover" drills to scare the living shit out the kids like they did in every other school in America in the 50's. What a douchebag.

Does anyone care what Al Gore says? This is like Walter Mondale giving a speech. Or is he dead? Because if he is dead, Walter Mondale giving a speech is WAY more interesting.

i remember Mondale... i remember rooting with my parents for Ronnie to beat him (yes, i was too young to know any better)

dont know if he's dead or alive... im guessing alive

He ran for Senate after Wellstone bit the dust back in 2002. I'm guessing he's still alive.

You didn't have to be older to know Ronnie was the better candidate





The man has a point. Too late for him though.

Funny how Al Gore thinks Bush broke the law yet Clinton isn't so sure.

Maybe if Tipper were getting all of her ducks in a row for a Presidential run, we'd see a slightly more reserved Al Gore. Or not.

Funny how whenever a Democrat is correct, it all goes right back to Clinton.

Ummmm, okay. I really don't know what you're getting at. I'm not blaming Clinton for anything.

I would suggest watching it. The adjective "emotional" has never described Al Gore, but he's very emotional in this speech. I was amazed.