an orgy of melancholic longing for Al Gore

Old Al has taken the media world by storm. I don’t think there’s one mainstream news outfit that hasn’t fawned all over him. Here’s Arianna gushing about the gushing:

The film is an environmental punch in the gut. Gore 2.0 is a revelation, and a critical smash. When asked at his press conference how he should be addressed, he replied “Your Adequacy.” “Hanks himself could not have delivered the line more smoothly,” gushed The Guardian. The Washington Post’s Sebastian Mallaby labeled him “a hero.” Time’s Anne Marie Cox called him “a rock star.” New York magazine touted his “amazing comeback.” And even Fox News’ Roger Friedman described him as “funny and relaxed.” Talk about killer reviews….

Here’s where she goes dead wrong:

The pressure on Gore to run will continue to grow because watching him speak out so eloquently, so passionately, and so personally on this issue — in other words, displaying real leadership — is like suddenly being served a steak after a steady diet of fast-food burgers. It’s a stark reminder of just how far we’ve lowered the bar on what we expect from those we elect.

Speaking out passionately and eloquently is not leadership. It is rhetoric.

Leadership is being demonstrated by Howard Dean—who is dividing the Democrats in order to unite them (or so it seems to me: if I read him right, he’s saying, “no more identity politics”). Leadership was demonstrated by Bob Kerrey when he did the unpopular thing and invited “the enemy” John McCain into “our” territory.

I agree that America wants a leader. Not a preacher, Arianna. A leader.