LIMBAUGH COMMENTARY; THE ALLEGORICAL AL GORE

During a recent interview, presidential aspirant Al Gore said he finds it tough to talk about himself and break through his legendary stiffness. "I'm not used to it because the way I was raised you don't talk about yourself too much. But in a campaign, you've got to introduce yourself and the experiences which have shaped your life."

Maybe Gore's discomfort in talking about himself explains why he so often is talking about someone else when describing himself. He is becoming renowned for his tall tales, including taking credit for inspiring the hero in the popular book and movie, "Love Story." Author Eric Segal denied it, saying actor Tommy Lee Jones, Gore's Harvard roommate, was the model for the character.

Gore's most recent embellishments were his claims to have invented the Internet and that he was a rugged hog farmer. Say what you want about Dan Quayle and his notorious gaffes, but at least he didn't suffer from delusions of grandeur or of ruggedness, for that matter.

One commentator suggested that Gore's exaggerated self-descriptions show that he suffers from an identity crisis. Others have suggested that Gore is enduring another kind of identity crisis, i. e., trying to emerge from the shadow of Bill Clinton. Both advise Gore to discover and reveal his true identity, grounded in reality and apart from Bill Clinton.

Don't be fooled by this. Gore isn't experiencing an identity crisis at all. He knows exactly who he is. He just happens to be given to self-serving storytelling and has deliberately and opportunistically chosen to attach himself to Clinton's record, hoping that he will receive electoral rewards for the prosperity while escaping the taint of the scandals.

Gore's real challenge is not to discover who he is, but to keep us from discovering it. He is a complex creature, and part of him is a little scary -- a little kooky. The fewer people who know that, the better his presidential chances.

Gore is somewhat of an enigma. He sometimes comes off as a bumbling buffoon, such as when he pointed to certain easily recognizable Founding Fathers artistically depicted in Monticello and asked, "Now, who is that?" At other times, he projects himself from the stump as a fiery orator, vigorously championing causes to which he is sincerely committed.

Gore's stiffness also leads opponents to underestimate him. Ross Perot obviously did so at his peril prior to getting his clock cleaned in a debate over the virtues of NAFTA hosted by CNN's Larry King a few years ago. Gore was anything but wooden in that debate. Animated and aggressive are more accurate.

But just when we may be tempted to take Gore seriously, we are reminded of what happens when we do. He certainly intended to be taken seriously in his environmentally extreme "Earth in the Balance." The book reveals one unmistakable side of Al Gore, and the disclosure is frightening. In it, he identifies the automobile's internal combustion engine as the greatest threat to civilization.

We have one image of Gore as a wooden, humorless character, bereft of any personality at all. We have another image of him as, well, a full-blown lumberyard. This, coupled with Clinton's exceedingly negative personal reputation to which Gore is inevitably compared, doubtless contributes to his reputation as being squeaky clean.

Does Gore deserve his choirboy reputation? In the marital fidelity department, he appears to have been faithful to Tipper. But his record in campaign finance shenanigans is much less pristine.

Few people, including Democrats, believe that Gore was unaware of what he was doing in the Buddhist temple incident. And many were outraged when Janet Reno gave him a pass on other alleged criminal campaign-finance activities. Gore remains a bit of a mystery. Is he an environmental whacko or a sophisticated Harvard graduate (not that the two are mutually exclusive)? Is he a delusional buffoon, or is he reliable and stable? Is he corrupt, or is he pure? Is he a second-rate cheerleader, or is he presidential? Will the real Al Gore please stand up? Will the other one please sit down?

Gore's best bet is not to find his identity, but to continue to shroud it, or at least part of it. If voters find out all about him, Bill Bradley, who is ominously waiting in the wings, may graduate from dark horse to favorite.

~David Limbaugh of Cape Girardeau is a columnist for Creators Syndicate.