BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : APRIL 10, 2000 ISSUE
BOOKS A Son Groomed to Be President INVENTING AL GORE A Biography By Bill Turque Houghton Mifflin -- 448pp -- $25 It's the kind of cutting comment he has had to endure since he burst onto the political stage. One prominent commentator noted that Gore resembles ''that small boyfrom grammar school who was the brightest and best behaved in the roombut is rather short of that instinctively casual touch with his associates that is so helpful in his trade.'' Only this is a 1956 description of Al Gore's father, Tennessee Senator Albert Gore, by noted journalist William S. White. The shadow cast by the elder Gore, both politically and psychologically, is a central element in veteran Newsweek correspondent Bill Turque's new biography of the 2000 Democratic Presidential nominee-presumptive. Inventing Al Gore examines the origins of the Gore political dynasty--and the effects of the Vice-President's parents in shaping him as both a person and a politician. It is an invaluable resource for voters--far more useful than the relentlessly disapproving Gore: A Political Life by former ABC newsman Bob Zelnick. While both books reach negative conclusions, Turque's is more balanced, giving readers greater opportunity to reach their own independent judgments. Turque excels when searching for Gore's roots. He examines the many parallels between father and son, pointing out the psychological scars of having a demanding parent who groomed his boy from childhood for the Presidency. And he describes the lessons learned by a son who watched his revered father's political career collapse in 1970 after he refused to respond to a barrage of negative campaigning. While Inventing Al Gore necessarily focuses on its subject, the most compelling figures in the book are his parents, Albert and Pauline. (This may be because the senior Gores--unlike their son and his wife, Tipper--granted interviews to the author.) Albert Sr. grew up in poverty in Possum Hollow, Tenn., and was turned on to politics by a local boy made good: Cordell Hull, a prominent internationalist who first represented the east central Tennessee district in the House and later served in Franklin Roosevelt's Cabinet as Secretary of State. Pauline was a trailblazing attorney whose own career path was limited by the low glass ceiling of her day. In Turque's portrayal, she is an exceptionally strong person who molded the careers of her two men. ''I trained them both,'' Turque quotes the irrepressible Pauline Gore as saying, ''and I did a better job on my son than I did on my husband.'' The similarities between the two Albert Gores run far deeper than their names. Elected to the Senate in 1952, the young, handsome, and ambitious country lawyer was considered, in Turque's words, ''a pedagogue and a techno-geek'' who championed modern marvels such as nuclear energy and the interstate highway system. (Years later, his son proudly wore the mantle of techno-geek, too, and championed green technology and the Information Superhighway.) As was the case with his son, Albert Sr.'s first campaign for national office was a disaster. His ungainly 1956 bid for the Democratic Vice-Presidential nomination quickly collapsed, as did 39-year-old Albert Jr.'s 1988 Presidential campaign. Occasionally, writes Turque, the old man ''gave the facts a little shave and a trim,'' such as when he told a crowd of Al Jr.'s supporters in 1976 that ''you elected me to Congress when I was 29 years old.'' (He was actually 30.) Like father, like son. Al Jr. has gotten into trouble repeatedly for his exaggerations: inventing the Internet, discovering Love Canal, being the model for the novel Love Story. But Young Al also learned from his father's failures. The elder Gore failed to keep up with the changing world of money and politics. In 1970, the endangered incumbent refused to raise big bucks to compete in a television air war. Gore Jr. would never make the same mistake. Indeed, his overzealous fund-raising in 1996 produced the first major stain on his Boy Scout image. While his father paid a high political price for boldly speaking out against the Vietnam War and segregation, the son developed a more cautious political persona. As a first-time candidate for Congress, he tacked to the right on hot-button issues such as abortion and gun control to mirror his generally conservative constituents. Inventing Al Gore is the result of two years of research. Turque's oral histories with boyhood acquaintances, relatives, and family friends shed much light on Gore's early years. But the second half of the book--chronicling his White House years--is far less interesting, with precious little new material. Another quibble: The early chapters allow the readers to form their own impressions of Young Al. But as the book winds down, a negative tone overwhelms its early sense of journalistic objectivity. And Turque is downbeat about a possible Gore Presidency. ''As tarnished as Clinton's legacy is, memories of his instinctive charm and political skill would remain as Gore did the job,'' he concludes, ''plodding where Clinton would glide, bringing a tin ear where Clinton would hear the music, lecturing where Clinton would cajole.'' Turque does acknowledge Gore's intelligence and debating prowess, but he often underestimates other political assets: Gore's ability to detect weaknesses in opponents, his fearlessness on the attack, and his skill at framing campaign issues. Turque's valid criticisms indicate that the Vice-President is clearly a flawed politician, much like his dad. But Al Jr. is tantalizingly close to the promised land that his late father dreamed his son would one day reach. By RICHARD S. DUNHAM Dunham covers the White House. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP					RELATED ITEMS A Son Groomed to Be President PHOTO: Cover, ``Inventing Al Gore'' INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online

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