When I think of Al Gore these days, particularly after yesterday's masterful speech, I can't help but think of Winston Churchill. (And I must not be alone - I read a comment in one of the many diaries about the speech that compared it to Churchill's famous "Iron Curtain" speech at Westminster College in 1946.)
Am I saying that Mr. Gore will hold the same exalted standing in history that Churchill now holds? No; only time will determine that.
And I'm certainly not comparing the personal politics of the two men. Churchill, though certainly one of the great heroes of civilization and a courageous man with many fine qualities, was not exactly the most progressive of statesmen; his adamant, long-time opposition to independence for Ireland and India, and his antiquated, romantic view of British imperialism no doubt would serve as an inspiration to the worst impulses of today's neocons.
But I hope, for the sake of America's future, that one aspect of Churchill's life may, in time, serve as an analogy for that of Al Gore: Churchill's eventual political comeback from what is referred to as his "Wilderness Years."
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