He's won an Emmy, an Oscar, a Nobel Peace Prize and, to most voters, the presidency. Monday, Al Gore finally stood in the Oval Office for the first time in six years.
Of course, Gore was next to George Bush, so it was kind of bittersweet. But they weren't there to argue over chads and butterfly ballots. They weren't there to take slightly awkward photos for the cameras (but they did).
They were there to talk about Gore's darling subject: climate change.
And hopefully, Bush listened this time. After years of denying the role of humans in exponentially increasing carbon emissions and his refusal to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, maybe Bush has decided to listen to what those crazy environmentalists have to say.
The White House declined to comment on Gore and Bush's conversation, but Gore told the media all they talked about was the environment. We hope Gore didn't leave disappointed.
As president, Bush has done very little to increase environmental protection and in some cases, such as with the Clear Skies Act of 2003, his signing pen has even weakened some measures of controlling the Earth's destruction.
We know Bush won't change his plans overnight, and honestly, we don't have very high expectations for him. But just by extending the invitation to Gore and speaking with him, it gives us hope that before he leaves office, he will do something to positively impact the environment.
