Projection. As global warming alarmism has become less relevant, Al Gore has been forced to broaden his agenda to “our democracy being hacked.”
From Al Gore’s interview with the Globe and Mail:
Q: Do you believe the United States is still relevant?
A: There’s a lot of evidence that, at least in relative terms, U.S. power has been declining. In part that it is inevitable consequence of the structural changes in the global economy. China and India were the dominant economic powers for most of the last two millennia and then the Industrial Revolution led to a quarter-millennium breakout by the West during which the United States became the unquestioned world leader. But we are seeing a reversion to the mean, a reversion to the traditional role that China played in the global economy for the last two millennia. And the United States unfortunately accelerated the potential for losing relative power by a series of uncharacteristically bad decisions: the invasion of Iraq, the decision to undermine its moral authority by employing widespread torture, the decision to agree with the large banks that no regulation of derivatives is necessary. These and other unfortunate decisions led to a crisis of confidence in U.S. leadership both in the democracy sphere and in the market sphere.
But it is still true that there is absolutely no alternative to U.S. leadership. Maybe over time one will emerge, but it has to be values-based and it has to be connected to economic and political and military power, and the United States has been unique in possessing all those characteristics.
I am an optimist in predicting that the United States will recover its balance. I do think that this large structural shift from television and radio to Internet-based communications that’s inviting the participation of individuals will find its beneficial effect in the United States – but it’s far from assured so we have a struggle in the years ahead.
It’s beginning to sound as though Al Jazeera bought Gore’s mouth too.
Thank you for that post. Well said, GC
“And the United States unfortunately accelerated the potential for losing relative power by a series of uncharacteristically bad decisions: the invasion of Iraq, the decision to undermine its moral authority by employing widespread torture, the decision to agree with the large banks that no regulation of derivatives is necessary.”
I give this three Pinocchios.
“the invasion of Iraq”
All parties believed Hussein had and was developing WMDs. The Halabja gas attack (1988) was carried out using . . . gas, a WMD.
All knew he was murdering and torturing his citizens. 14 UN resolutions were flaunted. The only bad decision was not realizing how perfidious the legacy press would be.
“the decision to undermine its moral authority by employing widespread torture”
We water boarded three men who murdered 3,000 people. One can argue whether water boarding is torture, but calling it “widespread” is just ignorant. As some American military get water boarded in training, it’s hard to perceive it as “torture.”
“the decision to agree with the large banks that no regulation of derivatives is necessary.”
This was Greenspan’s position. Blaming it on “large banks” is crass.
http://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/speeches/1997/19970221.htm
Gore does crass very well.