I am not advocating that Al Gore should be a candidate for President. But, I have seen him speak recently - articulate and impassioned. If he had spoken like this, he would have won the disputed 2000 presidential election.

I've been reading his new book "The Assault on Reason" which demonstrates his clear thinking, historical insights and insightful views of current events. If he had written this book before the 2004 election, Bush would have been out. Now again, I'm not saying Al Gore should be President - but I've gotta tell you, his book is a strong indictment of current administration failures.

Gore says American democracy is in danger - not from any one set of ideas, but from unprecedented changes in the environment. 30-second media messages sell flash over substance. In 2008, the American presidential election will spend over $1B, with 80% of budgets going to TV advertising. Is THAT how the American people will make a reasoned choice?

Says Al Gore (extract from Amazon.com book summary):

"We are at a pivotal moment in American democracy. The persistent and sustained reliance on falsehoods as the basis of policy, even in the face of evidence to the contrary, has reached levels that were previously unimaginable.

"Reasoned, focused discourse is vital to our democracy to ensure a well-informed citizenry. But this is difficult in an environment in which we are experiencing a new pattern of trivial serial obsessions that take over the airwaves for weeks at a time.

"Never has it been more vital for us to face the reality of our long-term challenges, from the climate crisis to the war in Iraq, to the deficits and health and social welfare. Today, reason is under assault by forces using sophisticated techniques such as propaganda, psychology, and electronic mass media."

Al Gore's key point: Reason - cold, calculating and unimpassioned - must always determine how we act. But today, three things are operating together to suppress Reason (my own edited comments):

• The politics of Fear: Six years after 9/11, the rhetoric of Fear continues to dominate. Continuous repetition of groundless Fears makes people believe that war in Iraq stops terrorists from attacking America. Fear is used as the rationale for wire-tapping, the excuse for torture, repeated violations of the US Constitution.
• The politics of Faith: Stressing the "struggle between good and evil" to stifle criticism and dissent. This past week I saw an interviewer asking presidential candidates if they believed in God, and whether they prayed. That kind of question would be unthinkable in Europe. Yet not one contender refused to answer for fear of losing votes. The US Constitution provides for separation of Church and State - but today, Religion seems to be a primary requirement for getting elected.
• The politics of Wealth: Democracy is suppressed by Wealth interests. Congressional lobbying, corruption and the purchase of government policy is commonplace. Big business owns and manipulates the Media. Large companies like Halliburton are criticized, but nobody acts. Congress is powerless to achieve anything meaningful.

Read the book excerpts (link below). That may tempt you to buy this significant book and spend some time reading it.

• TIME Book Excerpt - The Assault on Reason
• Review and buy on Amazon.com