Gore detours from campaign trail with stop on Letterman show
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Taking a televised break from the routine of the
presidential campaign trail, Al Gore clowned around Thursday with late-night
talk show host David Letterman and poked fun at Republican rival George W. Bush.
Appearing on CBS TV's "Late Show with David Letterman," the Democratic presidential nominee played straight man as the host introduced a parody video clip
that recalled Bush's slip of the tongue earlier this month.
"If you are with your running mate on stage and the crowd is cheering,
you know, you just say whatever is on your mind," Gore said. When Letterman
asked if he ever misspoke in such a manner, Gore feigned ignorance.
Letterman then rolled a tape showing the vice president and running mate
Joe Lieberman on stage at a rally.
"Hey, you know what, I've gotta go on that 'Letterman' show. That show is
so lame," Gore said on the tape.
Replied Lieberman, "Oh yeah, big time."
On September 4, Bush and Cheney were on a stage at a rally in Illinois when
the Texas governor turned to running mate Dick Cheney and talked about a
newspaper reporter.
"There's Adam Clymer, major league a------ from The New York Times,"
Bush said, a remark that was picked up by a microphone.
Cheney replied, "Oh, yeah, big time."
Letterman, whose opening monologues often target top political figures, poked fun at the extended kiss Gore gave his wife Tipper on stage before he gave his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles last month.
"I have been surprised at the amount of commentary and reaction to it," Gore replied. "I really have, because to me, that was just a little peck."
Letterman responded: "Al, how long have you been on the road?"
Letterman has managed to attract guest spots from a host of politicians from New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to Senate candidate first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. Bush has neither accepted nor rejected invitations to appear, though his campaign has told the CBS show that the Texas governor would be available to appear as a guest.
In keeping with the show's tradition, Gore also introduced his own top 10
list, citing reasons why Americans should vote for him.
Starting from the bottom, Gore said: "Number Ten: Vote for me or I'll come to your home and explain my 191-page economic plan to you in excruciating detail."
The list further read:
No. 9: "Remember America. I gave you the Internet, and I can take it away. Think about it."
No. 8: "Your vote automatically enters you in a drawing for the $123 billion budget surplus."
No. 7: "With Lieberman on the ticket, You get all kinds of fun new days off. Vote for us. We're going to work 24/6."
No. 6: "We know when the microphone is on."
No. 5: "Vote for me and I will take whatever steps necessary to outlaw the term 'Whazzzzup."'
No. 4: "Gore/Lieberman. You don't have to worry about pork barrel politics."
No. 3: "You'll thank us in four years when the escalator to the moon is finished."
No. 2: "If I can handle Letterman, I can handle Saddam Hussein."
No. 1: "I'll be twice as cool as that president guy on 'The West Wing."'
Reuters contributed to this report.
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