Have you noticed the drive—by media's blossoming love affair with Al Gore? Like so many springtime infatuations, this one is likely to end badly.

Faced with polls indicating Hillary's un—electability in 2008, and fearful of her energizing effects on the Republican base, the dive—by media is scrambling to find a viable Democratic Party's presidential candidate. And in desperation, they have set theirаsights on Gore.

Interspersed with salting the wound of Haditha, the antique media is trotting out pictures of Al Gore in turtlenecks. It is pushing him as a wise, thoughtful statesman. Footage of Gore speaking calmly —— instead of screeching to MoveOn zealots —— now floods the Sunday talk shows. Old Media enthusiastically praises his alarmist, agitprop film on global warming, and that issue commands the cover of Time Magazine and the pages of the New York Times.

Yes, the drive by media is deeply, desperately in love with Albert Gore Jr.

Buoyed by their near—success in selecting the last President, and bolstered by their hamstringing of the Bush presidency, the leftists steering theа mainstream media are now setting the table for a second try at installing a U.S. President.
Until recently, they stuck on the horns of a dilemma: whether to support Hillary, whose chance of victory hinges on the slight hope of a significant, rightwing, third—party candidacy materializing, or to abandon her to maximize the amount of time it could invest in a more viable, more leftwing candidate.

Last Sunday's talk shows, and an accompanying barrage of anti—Hillary leftwing op—eds, confirm that the decision has been made. The antique media has hung its hat on Gore —— for now.

Soon, we'll see news footage of Gore squeezing his Pillsbury body into spandex shorts and commuting on an ergonomically—designed bicycle. We'll see shots of him conscientiously walking, instead of driving, to his office, his mega—brain clicking away like an efficient computer chip, busily inventing the Next—Big—Thing since creating the Internet.

Prepare yourself. We'll certainly see more of what has already begun: endless presentation of words and footage making Al Gore appear "presidential."

And why not? —— Gore perfectly fits the drive—by media's wish—list of presidential attributes —— he's long—winded, metrosexual and a dyed—in—the—wool elitist. He socializes with Hollywood stars and other show—biz types. He has only briefly held employment outside of government. Until almost the end, he was a loyal Clinton lap—dog. Like the Old Media elites, Gore supports the radical Left and has been instrumental in publicizing it through his work with MoveOn.аа

But the one quality that most qualifies him for antique media support is his open hatred for George W. Bush; the man who "stole" his "birthright."

What the mainstream media likes, Americans, more often than not, wholly dislike.

That is the most glaring, inconvenient truth looming for the self—appointed MSM kingmakers who want to crown Gore. And there are more. First, most Americans view him as a condescending, insufferable bore. Second, Americans don't care much about global warming——they find the topic too technical and unexciting. Third, Gore has a serious political liability: Though he rails on endlessly about global warming, and now rhetorically votes for Kyoto, (after having symbolically voted against it during his tenure as Vice President), Al Gore is an energy hog,аone who has contributed disproportionately to the injection of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Whether jetting off to yet another global warming conference, or taking a gas—hungry limousine to a Hollywood fundraiser, few Americans have individually pumped more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than Albert Gore Jr.
You should conserve energy. You should walk or bicycle instead of driving. You should take mass transit. You should telecommute. You should spend $25,000+ on a hybrid car (if you must drive), and you should live in a small, energy efficient home in a "sustainable" neighborhood. But not the patrician Gore, who, when not traveling in that lumbering limousine, or jet—setting around in that pollutant—spewing airplane, lives in a spacious, energy—gobbling home.

This rich double standard comes as no surprise to those of us on the Right accustomed to mining the glittering vein of hypocrisy that runs thick through postmodern liberalism. We expect leftists to say one thing to their beloved masses and do the opposite in their personal lives. (I call this the "Moore Effect" after Halliburton stock—owning, labor union—fightingаpropagandist Michael Moore.) But the disparity between Gore's crusade to save the earth and his personal contributions to its destruction would make even the mildest environmentalist cringe.

Then there is the small matter of Al Gore's relationship with Google. As an advisor to the company prior to its public offering of stock, speculation abounds that he has made a substantial fortune. Nothing wrong with cashing in on Wall Street, of course, except among some on the extreme left. But awkwardly, Google's cave—in to the tyrants of Beijing on the little matter of internet censorship raises important questions about Gore's ability to conduct the foreign policy of the United States, not to mention his commitment to freedom of speech. Would Google and Gore welcome a thorough examination of his relationship to the company? So far, Gore has been silent on his exact financial and business relationship.

In the old days, the drive—by mediaаwould simply omit these inconvenient issues from its coverage. But the New Media now makes such deception nearly impossible to cleanly execute. Because of that, knowledge of Gore's wasteful personal energy policy and his involvement with Google will become widespread if his candidacy begins in earnest, and no amount of reverential, "comeback—kid" scripting will diminish the magnitude of the hypocrisy. Gore will fade quicker than post—scream Howard Dean.

By being his privileged self, the "new" Al Gore has already insured the failure of any presidential aspirations he might have for 2008. And the Old Media doesn't even know it.

Rocco DiPippo, a free lance political writer, publishes the Autonomist blog.