Prince Charmless

WHAT should one feel looking at that famous picture of Richard Nixon walking alone on the beach in his wingtips? Or when one reads about how, as a young man, he used to drive his beloved Pat to her dates with other suitors? Pity? Or contempt? So much about Nixon seems to inspire feelings that alternate between those two poles. In this limited sense, Al Gore is the most Nixonian of contemporary politicians.

In his new biography of Gore, David Maraniss recounts the experience of the old Washington hand Harry McPherson, who was charged in 1992 with helping vet veep possibilities for Clinton. Talking to Gore’s colleagues in Congress, McPherson was struck that no one had strong feelings about him. Tennessee senator Jim Sasser, a longtime Gore family friend, described him as “okay.” When McPherson met Gore he asked him about his friends: “Gore stumbled and paused trying to answer the question. ‘It confirmed my suspicions,’ McPherson told his compatriots later, exaggerating slightly to make his point. ‘Damn, the guy has no friends!’” Pity or contempt?

About the Author

Rich Lowry

Rich Lowry is the editor in chief of National Review.

Featured Tags

Presidential Election

The Washington Post

WHAT should one feel looking at that famous picture of Richard Nixon walking alone on the beach in his wingtips? Or when one reads about how, as a young man, he used to drive his beloved Pat to her dates with other suitors? Pity? Or contempt? So much about Nixon seems to inspire feelings that alternate between those two poles. In this limited sense, Al Gore is the most Nixonian of contemporary politicians.

In his new biography of Gore, David Maraniss recounts the experience of the old Washington hand Harry McPherson, who was charged in 1992 with helping vet veep possibilities for Clinton. Talking to Gore’s colleagues in Congress, McPherson was struck that no one had strong feelings about him. Tennessee senator Jim Sasser, a longtime Gore family friend, described him as “okay.” When McPherson met Gore he asked him about his friends: “Gore stumbled and paused trying to answer the question. ‘It confirmed my suspicions,’ McPherson told his compatriots later, exaggerating slightly to make his point. ‘Damn, the guy has no friends!’” Pity or contempt?