FrontPage

Nation

World

Media

Culture

Technology

Commentary

The chief reason that Al Gore says that anyone should vote for him is that he’s done such a great job as vice president. According to Al, he’s responsible for everything that Bill Clinton has done right, but he’s not tainted by any of Bill’s scandals (although he’s had a few of his own, such as Buddhist temple fundraising).

Al Gore recently broke with the administration on the Elian Gonzalez case. In a statement issued March 30, Gore said that U.S. immigration laws "may not be broad enough" to deal appropriately with the Elian Gonzalez case, and endorsed legislation that would give the boy, his father and several other family members permanent resident status in the United States. That legislation is co-sponsored by Democratic Senator Bob Graham of Florida and Republican Bob Smith of New Hampshire. In a statement, Gore, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, said, "From the very beginning, I have said that the Elian Gonzalez case is at heart a custody matter. It is a matter that should be decided by courts that have the experience and expertise to resolve custody cases -- with due process, and based on Elian's best interests."

That would mean, according to Gore advisers, that the vice president believes the case is better resolved in Florida's family courts--a clear break from administration policy. Gore's statement was released by his campaign a short time after the administration position was criticized by GOP presidential candidate George W. Bush.

In a close presidential race, the Cuban-American vote could be critical in Florida where the fate of 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez has angry Miami-area voters saying they will unite behind Republican George W. Bush.

Most of the 780,000 Cuban-Americans who live in the area are furious at the Clinton administration for ordering the youngster's return to Cuba. And the political fallout could be devastating for Democrat Al Gore as President Clinton's vice president, whatever his own views on the Gonzalez case.

Gore’s tactic is thus to distance himself from the president’s policy. This raises an interesting question. If Al Gore can’t affect the president’s policies on something as small as the Elian Gonzalez case, how can he take credit for anything that the Clinton administration has done? Let’s consider the following scenario, where Bill Clinton and Al Gore are discussing Elian Gonzalez

Al: Bill, we need to change our policy on this Elian Gonzalez thing. The Cuban Americans are really angry, and I need their votes in November.

Bill: You’re right, Al. Why should we care what Fidel Castro says? He just a tin-horn dictator of one of the last communist countries left on earth. Why sacrifice votes for the sake of non-existent diplomatic relations with Cuba? I’ll call Janet Reno and tell her to let Elian stay.

Obviously, this conversation never took place. Gore is just trying to have it both ways, letting the administration get away with kicking Elian out while looking like the good guy by opposing it. Well Al, you can’t have it both ways. Either you have influence or you don’t. If you do have influence, then back up your position on Elian with action. If you don’t have influence, then why should we give you credit for anything the administration has done in the past 8 years?

On the other hand, maybe Gore can get away with it, given the lack of media attention his position has generated.