But even Al Gore has not been able to sidestep the moral swamp that is the Clinton White House. In the fund-raising frenzy of the 1996 Democratic presidential campaign, Mr. Gore cut moral and legal corners. This defense sounded very Clintonian. Actually, Mr. Gore's response revealed a longstanding character flaw. His self-image does not allow him to admit, apparently even to himself, that he might be wrong.
Secular religion can be a real threat to liberty.
Mr. Gore's secular religion is clearly apocalyptic environmentalism. In fact, the wealth and knowledge made possible by industrial society is responsible for the past 50 years of solid progress toward cleaning up and protecting the environment. But there is no room in Mr. Gore's intemperate world-view for this concession. And he simply will not tolerate disagreement on the gravity of the alleged environmental crisis. Behind the scenes, as Mr. Zelnick shows, he has encouraged numerous attacks on the integrity of scientists and economists who challenge his vision of nature's doom.