I just read the nicest story about Al Gore over at Eric Alterman’s place:

Eric,
Just wanted to share a story about Al Gore. Sometime around 1975 or 1976, while living in Nashville, I dated a girl who grew up in Carthage, TN. She was as country redneck as I was a snobby city moron. I can tell you after some years of reflection that one of us was much more honest and interesting than the other. I don’t know if Al was still a reporter or if he was running for Congress, or perhaps he had already been elected. I don’t even know why Carol and I were talking about him. She told me the Gores were neighbors when she was growing up and that she and Al were friends. My small mind just could not wrap itself around the concept of this redneck girl being friends with the Gore family. She insisted they were friends, she was welcome at the Gore’s farm, and that Al didn’t think he was any better than anybody else, or as she would say, “Al is just regular folk same as you and me.” I thought I was the smartest one in the room, but actually I was just about the biggest dumbass in the world. Anyway to prove her point, she got Al’s number and she called Al up and spoke to him at length. I listened in as they caught up on the news in their lives. I can tell you he treated Carol just like you would expect someone to treat an old neighbor they haven’t spoken to in years. He asked about her, about her father Roy, and caught her up on the doings in his family. There was nothing hurried about the convesation, he seemed as pleased to be hearing from Carol. What strikes me as the years go by (other than what a jerk I was), is about how people are portrayed in the media and how that so differs from the actual heart of the person. At that moment in time Al Gore didn’t seem wooden or ill at ease. Carol was right about him being regular folk just like her. I do wonder how stupid our press corps must be to think that George Bush is the guy to have a beer with, and Al Gore is wooden and bland. I was a dumbass twenty year old, but these people seem so unable to recognize commitment to service as opposed to commitment to power.