Does Al Gore read this blog?

The right half of the blogosphere is getting exercised about Al Gore’s speech to a rally of Tennessee Democrats yesterday. The reason is the New York Times lead:

In a withering critique of the Bush administration, former Vice President Al Gore on Sunday accused the president of betraying the country by using the Sept. 11 attacks as a justification for the invasion of Iraq. “He betrayed this country!” Mr. Gore shouted into the microphone at a rally of Tennessee Democrats here in a stuffy hotel ballroom. “He played on our fears. He took America on an ill-conceived foreign adventure dangerous to our troops, an adventure preordained and planned before 9/11 ever took place.” (emphasis added)

I’ve explained why this “preordained and planned” meme is a pile of horses–t here and here. Here’s the thing that scares me — there are parts of this speech where Gore is not only correct, but he’s channeling this blog!! Don’t believe me? Here’s what I wrote ten days ago:

More and more, Bush reminds me of Nixon…. On domestic policy, Bush seems like he’ll say or do anything, so long as it advances his short-term political advantage. If Karl Rove thought imposing wage and price controls would win Pennsylvania and Michigan for Bush, you’d see an Executive Order within 24 hours.

Chris Sullentrop posted large chunks of the speech in this Slate story. Here’s the relevant portion:

I say that President George W. Bush reminds me more of former President Richard Nixon than any of his other predecessors. Nixon was no more committed to principle than the man in the moon. He, as a conservative Republican, imposed wage and price controls. Hard to believe in this day and time. But he did. And he cared as little about what it meant to be really conservative as George W. Bush has cared in imposing $550 billion budget deficits and trillions in additions to the national debt. That has nothing to do with conservatism and everything to do with his effort to get re-elected!

[You aren’t the only blogger to make this point. Maybe he’s reading the Decembrist instead–ed. Mark Schmitt spoke favorably about Nixon’s policies — I didn’t, and neither is Gore.] Al, if you’re reading this, seriously, good point on Nixon, but I think you’re overreaching on this pre-meditation thing. Check out those Paul O’Neill posts. Because Sullentrop’s concluding graf is spot-on:

[T]he question for the party’s nominee has to be, do you want this man to speak at the convention in Boston? Even if you like the sentiment behind this speech, if Gore delivers an address like this one in July, the historical analogy won’t be to the Democrats of 1976 or to the Republicans of 1994. Instead, the comparison will be to the disastrous Republican convention of 1992.

[You seem freaked out about this–ed. Remember that Seinfeld episode when Elaine says, “I’ve become George!!”? I don’t ever want to say, “I’ve become Gore!”] UPDATE: Darn my language!! Guaranteed, any time I cuss in my post it prompts a rash of swearing in the comments. I gotta learn to speak in hyphens more quickly.