Gore: I Don’t Regret Giving Lieberman Career Boost By Picking Him As Running Mate

Fmr. Vice President Al Gore
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

On her show yesterday, Rachel Maddow aired a clip from an interview with former Vice President Al Gore, in which he denies that Sen. Joe Lieberman’s (I-CT) recent remarks about filibustering health care reform that includes a public option have caused him to regret picking the senator as his running mate in the 2000 election.

First, Maddow asked whether Gore regrets the “turbo-boost” Lieberman got after being picked as Gore’s running mate in the 2000 campaign. “The short answer,” said Gore, “is no. We were very close friends in the Senate. We’re still friends. And he was right and forceful on many of the issues I felt were central, including global warming. He’s been one of the leaders on that issue, on women’s rights, on a whole range of issues.”

He continued:

I disagree with him on a lot of the issue that have become more prominent since then. But I would urge people to wait until the denouement of this health care debate to see where it falls out. Because I do believe that Harry Reid is going to be successful in passing it fairly soon. I also believe, by the way, that the Senate is going to pass climate and energy legislation before Copenhagen. I know the Las Vegas betting is the other way, and my view is not widely shared. But there is much more dialoguing and progress behind the scenes than is visible publicly and I think there is an excellent chance that we will get legislation.

Since the interview, the Senate EPW Committee has passed the climate bill, despite a GOP boycott.

Watch the full clip here. The rest of the interview airs on The Rachel Maddow Show tonight.

Latest News
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: