The hubbub over Gore's latest speech is really rather baffling. I've seen no compelling counterarguments to the actual points he raised (check Joe Gandelman for more on that), just breathless astonishment that Gore dared criticize American policies while on Saudia soil. It's weird. I had no idea that our culture's devotion to free speech and self-criticism (the same one the right's been rhapsodizing for the past few weeks) was only operative within our borders. Does the ideal simply lack a passport? What's the mechanism?
Also, so far as I know, none of the indignant hordes have actually, you know, read the speech. For a crew so instantly suspicious of the MSM, they sure are quick to accept an AP news story as an accurate, textured recounting of the full flavor and focus of an address. Skepticism for me but not for thee, I guess. To get an idea of the potential differences, read the AP story, which emphasizes Gore's policy critiques, and read the Arab News' recounting, where he calls for a "Century of Renewal." The speeches seem fairly different depending on the source. That's not to say the AP is wrong, but such indignation over a speech they've neither heard nor read seems a little, well, planned.
