Good afternoon. I'm Al Gore, and I'd like to tell you about myself. I know a lot about hardship, because I came into this world as a poor black child in a tiny town in the backwoods of Tennessee. I
was born in a log cabin that I built with my own hands. I taught myself to read
by candlelight and helped support my 16 brothers and sisters by working summers
as a deckhand on a Mississippi River steamboat. My mother taught me the value of
education, so every day, I would walk 5 miles to a one-room schoolhouse. I was a
mischievous, fun loving scamp, thought I never dreamed that one day, my youthful
escapades would serve as the inspiration for "Huckleberry Finn. "Back
then, black folks in the south were second-class citizens. One day, a traveling
minister came through town, and I asked him if anyone was ever going to do
something to guarantee civil rights for all Americans. Well, I guess I made an
impression. You see, the minister's name was Martin Luther King, Jr.
My father was a United States Senator. He once perched me on his knee and said, "Son, if
you work hard and listen to your mama, someday you can live in a hotel in
Washington, D.C., and go to an exclusive prep school." But life of privilege
was not for me. After getting my high school diploma, I took a job in a hot,
dirty textile mill. I was so appalled at the treatment of the workers there that
I organized a union. Later, that experience inspired a movie - which is why, to
this day, my close friends at theAFL-CIO call me "Norma Rae." When
word got out what an 18 year old factory worker had done, Harvard called and
offered me a scholarship. I captained the hockey team to four consecutive
national championships, but I also played football and was good enough to win the
Heisman Trophy.
During my college years, I lived in a housing project and
moonlighted playing lead guitar for a little rock band. You may have heard of
it-the Rolling Stones. But there was a war going on, and I felt I had to serve my
country. So I enlisted in the U. S. Army and went to Vietnam. I was deeply
opposed to the war, but I did my duty as a soldier and came back home withthe
Medal of Honor and the Croix de Guerre.
When I got back, I took a long journey across this great land of ours. I've crossed the deserts bare, man, I've breathed the mountain air, man, I've traveled, I've done my share, man, I've been
everywhere. And the people I met at truckstops and campgrounds and homeless
shelters on that journey all said the same thing: "Al, we need you in
Washington." I knew they were right, but first I had to take care of some
other business---building theWorld Trade Center, founding the Audubon Society,
doing the clinical research that proved smoking caused cancer, and coming up with
the recipe for Mrs. Field's chocolate chip cookies. Finally, I deferred to the
demands of the people of Tennessee and allowed them to elect me to the House of
Representatives and the Senate. And the none winter day nearly nine years ago,
for no particular reason, I answered the call of the people once again and took
the oath of office as Vice President of the United States. Since then, I've been
part of the most successful administration in American history. Many times Bill
Clinton has been pondering some grave decision and has asked me what to do. And
when I would give him my thoughts, he would invariable say, "Of course.
That's brilliant. Why didn't I think of that?" During the darkest days of
the impeachment battle, the president told me he only wished he had listened when
I told him to stay away form that dark-haired intern. So after I decided to run
for president, I sat down with him and asked if he had any suggestions about how
to conduct my campaign. And Bill Clinton gave me a few simple words of
advice-words I'll never forget. He looked me in the eye and he said, "Al,
just tell the truth, it's always worked for me."
was born in a log cabin that I built with my own hands. I taught myself to read
by candlelight and helped support my 16 brothers and sisters by working summers
as a deckhand on a Mississippi River steamboat. My mother taught me the value of
education, so every day, I would walk 5 miles to a one-room schoolhouse. I was a
mischievous, fun loving scamp, thought I never dreamed that one day, my youthful
escapades would serve as the inspiration for "Huckleberry Finn. "Back
then, black folks in the south were second-class citizens. One day, a traveling
minister came through town, and I asked him if anyone was ever going to do
something to guarantee civil rights for all Americans. Well, I guess I made an
impression. You see, the minister's name was Martin Luther King, Jr.
My father was a United States Senator. He once perched me on his knee and said, "Son, if
you work hard and listen to your mama, someday you can live in a hotel in
Washington, D.C., and go to an exclusive prep school." But life of privilege
was not for me. After getting my high school diploma, I took a job in a hot,
dirty textile mill. I was so appalled at the treatment of the workers there that
I organized a union. Later, that experience inspired a movie - which is why, to
this day, my close friends at theAFL-CIO call me "Norma Rae." When
word got out what an 18 year old factory worker had done, Harvard called and
offered me a scholarship. I captained the hockey team to four consecutive
national championships, but I also played football and was good enough to win the
Heisman Trophy.
During my college years, I lived in a housing project and
moonlighted playing lead guitar for a little rock band. You may have heard of
it-the Rolling Stones. But there was a war going on, and I felt I had to serve my
country. So I enlisted in the U. S. Army and went to Vietnam. I was deeply
opposed to the war, but I did my duty as a soldier and came back home withthe
Medal of Honor and the Croix de Guerre.
When I got back, I took a long journey across this great land of ours. I've crossed the deserts bare, man, I've breathed the mountain air, man, I've traveled, I've done my share, man, I've been
everywhere. And the people I met at truckstops and campgrounds and homeless
shelters on that journey all said the same thing: "Al, we need you in
Washington." I knew they were right, but first I had to take care of some
other business---building theWorld Trade Center, founding the Audubon Society,
doing the clinical research that proved smoking caused cancer, and coming up with
the recipe for Mrs. Field's chocolate chip cookies. Finally, I deferred to the
demands of the people of Tennessee and allowed them to elect me to the House of
Representatives and the Senate. And the none winter day nearly nine years ago,
for no particular reason, I answered the call of the people once again and took
the oath of office as Vice President of the United States. Since then, I've been
part of the most successful administration in American history. Many times Bill
Clinton has been pondering some grave decision and has asked me what to do. And
when I would give him my thoughts, he would invariable say, "Of course.
That's brilliant. Why didn't I think of that?" During the darkest days of
the impeachment battle, the president told me he only wished he had listened when
I told him to stay away form that dark-haired intern. So after I decided to run
for president, I sat down with him and asked if he had any suggestions about how
to conduct my campaign. And Bill Clinton gave me a few simple words of
advice-words I'll never forget. He looked me in the eye and he said, "Al,
just tell the truth, it's always worked for me."
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