2/11/01
Gibbs

The Washington Post Newspaper reported that Al Gore had not met with President Clinton for over a year, until he met with him after Clinton conceded the election to George W. Bush.

According to the report the hour-long meeting was tense because Gore indicated that Clinton's actions (for which Clinton was impeached) cost Gore the election. The Post claims that Clinton was taken aback by the fervor of Gore's claim.

During the Presidential campaign, it became clear to most observers that Gore distanced himself from Clinton. Gibbs wrote about this clear tendency Gore seemed to demonstrate, separating himself from Clinton. Gore's distancing may have been the result of Tipper Gore's conservative side.

Gore harmed himself when he did not allow Clinton to campaign for him. The Republicans mounted a strategy that challenged Gore not to bring Clinton into the campaign. They implied that Clinton's Lewinsky scandal would be injected into the campaign, and Gore bought into that ploy.

Although Clinton's action may have affected Gore, it was up to Gore to take the Presidency. No one was going to give it to him, and if he lost it, he lost it because of his actions, not Clinton. []