An Acquired Taste Via The Spike Report: ‘Despite his image as a charisma-impaired policy wonk, Al Gore is “America’s

most lethally effective practitioner of high-stakes political debate,” says

James Fallows. Fallows examines

Gore’s performance in debates dating back to 1987, tracing a Michael

Corleone-style transformation from naive idealist to cold-blooded pragmatist.

After steadily improving his skills throughout the 90s, says Fallows, Gore

has become “the political combatant most likely to leave his victims feeling

not just defeated but battered…We can’t be sure about what will be best

about Al Gore if he becomes President,” writes Fallows. “But what will be

worst is probably closely connected to the way he has learned to destroy

opponents in debates.” ‘ The Atlantic Monthly