Letters

Washington Monthly, June, 2000

No Pinocchio?

There has actually been more exaggeration about Gore and Love Story than Robert Parry's article states. At one point in his piece, Parry refers to "Gore's expressed belief that he and his wife Tipper had served as models for the lead characters" of the book/movie. But did Gore ever express such a belief? Not according to the actual reporting on this ridiculous incident.

In the December 14,1997 New York Times, Melinda Henneberger wrote a lengthy article detailing the facts of this silly story. Henneberger interviewed Karen Tumulty and Richard Berke, the only journalists present when Gore discussed Love Story. The two reporters agreed: Gore only said that he had seen a newspaper story quoting Erich Segal on the subject. Henneberger quoted Tumulty: "He said all I know is that's what [Segal] told reporters in Tennessee." Everyone agrees that there was such a story, in the Nashville Tennessean. Segal told Henneberger that the Tennessean reporter, playing the "local hero angle" had (here we go again) "exaggerated" what Segal told him. Segal had told the reporter that Gore was a model for the Ryan O'Neal part. The reporter expanded what Segal said, mentioning Tipper as well.

Gore said he saw a newspaper story. Everyone agrees that there was such a story. The person "exaggerating" the facts was a journalist. But on the basis of this ridiculous story, Gore has been branded a liar for years. Welcome to our relentlessly negative and reliably mindless press era.

BOB SOMERBY Baltimore, Md.

Fire With Fire

I was sorry that Robert Parry did not attempt to contact me before he faulted my reporting in his story about Al Gore's exaggerations. If he had, I would have told him this: Al Gore and his campaign have never disputed that he took credit for finding Love Canal. Yes, I misquoted a word in the latter part of his comment, and I regret that. But there is no question about Mr. Gore's overall meaning. The operative quote--"I found a little place in upstate New York called Love Canal"--is not in doubt. In fact, Mr. Gore called The Associated Press in Buffalo the next day and apologized to the people of Love Canal for taking credit. Mr. Parry is correct that this story has been "amplified endlessly by the rest of the news media." Unfortunately, The Washington Monthly has contributed to that echo chamber without checking the facts.

KATHARINE Q. SEELYE Washington, D.C.

The Truth About Gore

Robert Parry in "He's No Pinocchio" constructed some very flimsy strawmen. These, I believe, are of more substance:

During his eight years in the House Al Gore had an 84 percent pro-life voting record. He now claims that he has always been pro-choice. I applaud his present position but deplore his lack of honesty about it. In Congress he quite naturally supported the tobacco interests--they were his constituents--but he now claims that he was always opposed to the production and use of tobacco products. (It has been reported that at one time the Gore family were growers of tobacco.)

In 1992, referring to George Bush's grant of a waiver giving the Chinese access to satellite technology, Gore said "President Bush is an incurable patsy for those dictators he sets out to coddle." He later supported the sale of even more technology to the Chinese which required the reversal of an order issued by the Secretary of State prohibiting such sales. Obviously Gore changed his mind, and perhaps it was the right thing to do, but he was not willing to stand up and say so. He seems unwilling to show us his real self, afraid perhaps that we will not like what we see.

Gore and Clinton were very critical of Bush for granting Most Favored Nation status to China. When in office, Clinton, with Gore's support, did exactly that with most unfortunate timing--as they did it around the time the Chinese were making contributions to the DNC. It may have been coincidence but it sure looked bad and once again there was no admission of a change in position.

After almost eight years of this sort of duplicity we should be forgiven for hoping for a little more honesty. It just takes courage, that's all.

HENRY CLIFFORD Wainscott, N.Y.

War on Fries

You report, "Over 50,000 people suffer drug-related deaths in the United States each year and Gen. McCaffrey continually emphasizes studies that show that illegal drug use annually costs this country $110 billion."

The obesity that results from "food abuse" causes over a quarter-million deaths per year in the U.S., according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, Vol. 282, 1999). And the Reuters news service reports (September 16,1999): "Obesity costs the United States $238 billion a year in expenses from its associated diseases such as diabetes, stroke and heart disease, [and this does not] include the costs of treating obesity itself, which affects more than 22 percent of Americans."

Why are we wasting our time and money with drug prohibition? Junkfood prohibition would obviously save far more lives and money.

PETER WEBSTER
REVIEW EDITOR, INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY
Quartier Les Vignes
Auvare, France