AT THE feet of his master, Al Gore learned well from Bill Clinton.
And to fracture the immortal words of the Godfather, it was this:
Keep your enemies far away, and your friends farther away.
For eight years, Clinton has shown that being his friend can be highly hazardous to health.
Whether it be jail, death, exile or dishonor, friendship with little Willie is like working without a net.
Every time someone threw himself on his sword for Clinton, the only thing they saw was the president’s back.
So now what’s happened?
Clinton, for months, has been salivating to get into this election. And Gore – who on the day of Clinton’s impeachment called him one of the greatest presidents in history – has been breaking the hundred yards in even time running away from him.
Karl Rove, strategist for the Bush campaign, put it precisely on Fox News yesterday:
“He [Gore] did not mention Bill Clinton in three debates.
“He said the words ‘Ronald Reagan’ more than he said Clinton. Gore could not even bring himself to utter his name.”
What an irony: riding on Clinton’s coattails for years and suddenly wanting to cut them off when it appeared he could be splashed by Clinton’s scandals.
But you can’t keep a good egomaniac like Clinton down.
Clinton “is trying to reinvent himself. There is no way you are going to hide Bill Clinton,” columnist David Broder said yesterday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Of course, we saw the cover of Esquire with the picture of Clinton with legs splayed apart, and read, once again, a self-serving lecture.
Al Gore must have reached for the Alka-Seltzer.
“It was a picture that some thought looked less than presidential,” said Fox commentator Brit Hume. “He looked like a W.C. Fields.”
David Maraniss, who has authored blockbuster books on both Clinton and Gore, yesterday jokingly sketched a perfect picture of blind ambition.
Clinton “loves to run. He would even run against Hillary for the New York state Senate [if he got the chance],” Maraniss said.
Gore, in the meantime, is invoking his own version of “the Clinton Doctrine” by turning his back on friends – most notably Ralph Nader of the Green Party.
Nader, who potentially can take as much as 5 percent of the vote away from Gore in at least six states, has become a worrisome toothache.
The Nader Factor may have even forced Gore in this closing critical eight days to finally reach out for Bubba: “I love you, son, come and help me out.”
I don’t like to see treachery in any corner, but when you see architects of rodentry caught in traps, one must believe that there is an ultimate justice for lack of morality, whether it be betraying old friends or lying to grand juries.
Sen. Fred Thompson, a Republican from Gore’s home state of Tennessee, where Bush is winning handily, said yesterday on CNN:
“Gore will use Clinton without appearing to use him.”
Jack Kemp, former Republican vice-presidential candidate, asked the question: “Why is Gore running away from Bill Clinton?”
As if Jack and all of us didn’t know the answer.
But in an “industry” where ego tops Everest, there can be an even simpler answer.
Gore on a stage next to Bill Clinton looks like a Charlie McCarthy doll – if it’s only the fact that Bill Clinton can tell bigger lies.