Gore is being interviewed by Wolf Blitzer:

BLITZER: I want to get to some of the substance of domestic and international issues in a minute, but let's just wrap up a little bit of the politics right now. Why should Democrats, looking at the Democratic nomination process, support you instead of Bill Bradley, a friend of yours, a former colleague in the Senate? What do you have to bring to this that he doesn't necessarily bring to this process?

GORE: Well, I will be offering - I'll be offering my vision when my campaign begins. And it will be comprehensive and sweeping. And I hope that it will be compelling enough to draw people toward it. I feel that it will be. But it will emerge from my dialogue with the American people. I've traveled to every part of this country during the last six years. During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system.

During a quarter century of public service, including most of it long before I came into my current job, I have worked to try to improve the quality of life in our country and in our world. And what I've seen during that experience is an emerging future that's very exciting, about which I'm very optimistic, and toward which I want to lead.

---------------------------------

This is one of the great examples of "if you repeat it enough people will believe it."

Due to the fact that most people did not in fact hear the interview with Blitzer and many also probably don't understand what he means by "I took the initiative in creating the Internet." what you end up with is a whole lot of people getting told over and over that Gore said he "invented the internet."

Something which never came out of his mouth. What he said was he took the "initiative" and in fact he did. Gore began championing the great possibilities this technology would provide the general public in the 1970's. In government ideas put before the sitting politicians are called "initiatives" and Gore more than any other politician took this particular initiative and ran with it.

The thing that happened with his comment though is David Letterman and Jay Leno among others began joking about what he said right away. Most people found it very funny including President Clinton and Gore himself. They both made jokes about it and Gore still does to this day. He's known now to joke that he "invented the environment."

Letterman's December 3, 1999 Top Ten list

Top Ten Other Achievements Claimed By Al Gore

10. Was first human to grow an opposable thumb

9. Only man in world to sleep with someone named "Tipper"

8. Current Vice President - Moesha fan club

7. He invented the dog

6. While riding bicycle one day, accidentally invented the orgasm

5. Pulled U.S. out of early 90's recession by personally buying 6,000 T-shirts

4. Starred in CBS situation comedy with Juan Valdez, "Juan for Al, Al for Juan"

3. Was inspiration for Ozzy Osboune song "Crazy Train"

2. Came up with popular catchphrase "Don't go there, girlfriend"

1. Gave mankind fire

The joke never went away and sadly left many people thinking Gore was dishonest...something you really don't need to push people too hard to feel about politicians.

Gore to me was a lot like John Kerry, sort of a stiff public speaker. He has since become a lot more polished in that department and this would benefit him quite a bit if he did in fact run again.

Will that joke go away? Probably not as even back in 1999 people joked about Al Gore "inventing global warming."

To this day there still are a lot of people who think Gore said he invented the internet and you need look no further than our very own Pat Brown for an example.

Hope that helps Greenie.