I Agree With Al Gore?

Well, yes - at least on this. Both he and I agree that the media focuses almost exclusively on trivia and the "horserace" rather than issues and ideas. Today, in an interview with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America, he pretty much laughed in her face.

He critiqued the media more than once, beginning with the big "Race to '08" logo in the background on the GMA set. "That's not what this is about," he insisted.

Sawyer kept coming back to the campaign, even as she admitted she was doing exactly what Gore condemns in the book: "Not to fall into your thesis that the press only wants the horserace of a political campaign, but--"

"But back to the horserace," Gore mocked.

It seems like most if not all of the declared candidates would prefer we keep it a horserace. They try to gain name recognition without saying too much and offending someone. God forbid we have a rational discussion of the issues - they might have to commit to something. Gore told Sawyer:

"But listen to your questions. The horserace, the cosmetic parts of this -- look, that's all understandable and natural. But while we're focused on Britney and K-fed and Anna Nicole Smith and all this stuff, meanwhile, very quietly, our country has been making some very serious mistakes that could be avoided if we, the people, including the news media, are involved in a full and vigorous discussion of what our choices are."

He's right. I'm sure more Americans are worried about Paris Hilton going to jail than about governmental abuse of power.