Let the wailing and the gnashing of teeth begin!!
Al Gore Jr., son of he who many of have hoped will run for President, was arrested in California this AM. He was stopped in his hybrid car (thank God for that), and a small amount of marijuana was found in the vehicle, along with vicodin, valium, xantax, adderal, and soma (a drug my sister refers to as "soma coma" for its effect on me in times of muscle spasm). Looks like the boy is in a little pain. No prescriptions for the medications were found (d'oh!).
Follow me over the fold for the Gore-y details (sometimes I just crack myself up....sorry.)
An account of the incident can be found here. You gotta love the title, "Al Gore Jr caught high in hybrid", and the same report is also listed at Google as "Al Gore Jr goes a little too green". Those wacky news guys, always with the jokes....
He identified himself immediately, but was given no special treatment, according to the various reports I've read and heard this morning. He is still in jail at this time and bail has been set for $20,000.
This isn't the first time that Junior Junior has been in such trouble. In 2000 he was arrested for reckless driving when he was stopped speeding, then again in 2002, for suspicion of drunk driving, and then once more in 2003 for marijuana possession when he was stopped for driving without his headlights on. He got off with rehab that time.
This sounds to me like a troubled young man with a taste for pot, the occasional painkiller, and fast (but energy efficient) cars. You have to wonder what role his nearly dying after being hit by a car has to play in this chain of events. It's not an excuse, but it could definitely be a factor.
I don't know what this will do to the (slim?) chances that many of us (yes, me too) had for Al Junior the elder running for president, but I have to think it isn't going to push him toward a run for the White House. Of course, many political figures who become president have had someone close to them who is...shall we say 'troubled'? I'm mean, Jimmy Carter had Billy, Bill Clinton had Roger. And then there's our esteemed Fearless Leader, Commander Codpiece.....does it count when the drunken, raving, coked-up, lunatic jackass is the one that actually gets elected?
Read up, kiddies, and weep......
UPDATE: Al Gore is on The Today Show right now discussing this issue, as well as his important work. He has stated that they have been aware that the young man has a problem, they have been getting him treatment, he is relieved that no one was hurt, and that they are treating this as a private family matter. As it should be. He's also stated, again, that he has no intentions at this time to run for president. He is being the classy, dignified Al Gore many of us have come to love and hope will run for president. Those republican thugs who are trying to outdo each other with how many terrorists they'll torture should be paying attention. This is how it's done, fools......
UPDATE 2: NeuvoLiberal offers the following statement made by Al Gore (with link provided)....
Al Gore says son seeks treatment after drug arrest
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - US former vice president-turned-climate campaigner Al Gore said Thursday his son was getting treatment after being arrested on drug charges when police stopped him speeding in his low-emissions car.
"We're glad that he's safe and that he's getting treatment and we're going to leave it as a family matter," Gore said in an interview on NBC news.