Cross Posted Daily KosYesterday, I skipped out of work and took a trip down the street to the Dirksen Senate Office on Capitol Hill to watch Vice President Al Gore give historic testimony to the United States Senate.
I had intended earlier in the day to watch both the House and the Senate testimony from Vice President Gore however was detained due to work.
Thankfully, I was able to break away during the afternoon and arrived outside the hearing shortly before the hearing began.
There was a HUGE line that carried it's way all the way down the hall, the Capitol Hill Police were concerned as they continually asked people to move closer to the walls.
I saw a small gathering of CODE PINK who were being examined it seemed more thoroughly than the others, than I was.
As I stood in line, I met a House intern named Katie. We talked politics, mostly about 2008. She had just spent time the night before with President Clinton and Sen. Clinton.
As the hour came near, we saw a commotion and then emerged Sen. Boxer escorting Gore and his wife Tipper to the hearing room.
As he passed I along with Katie were able to get him to stop and shake our hands. He looked at me and said "Thank you for coming here today".
Followed by clicks of cameras and a good number of young people who wanted to get a picture of him he carried his way through the hall into the hearing room, SD-106.
We couldn't get in the hearing room at first so we were guided to an overflow room a few floors up directly above the hearing. As we watched the testimony, I thought that this was the most historic testimony of my lifetime.
The exchange between Sen. Inhofe and Vice President Gore was somewhat historic as well. I asked a Senate staffer if he had ever seen anything nearly that colorful before as the exchange between Gore and Inhofe then the other exchange with Boxer and Inhofe, and to my surprise he said no.
Sen. Inhofe, and I counted called Gore "Senator Gore" 8 times!
However, beyond that exchange and those with skeptical Republicans I think that yesterday's testimony to Congress by Vice President Gore.
Can anyone think of any other important testimony ever given to Congress? This is about our environment, about our future, about our National Security.
As Vice President Gore was speaking yesterday I thought on how I first got involved in politics. It was with the Draft Clark campaign in 2003. Thinking of when I got involved I remember making a list of issues that were important to me. I ranked them, the environment was near or at the bottom.
Why is that? I mean I was heavily involved in politics at the time increasingly. I knew the issues, I knew the Democratic platform.
I just didn't know how much of a crisis this is.
Until, I saw his movie. That changed my life.
As some of you know, I am a father now. In exactly one week my cute little son will be 3 months old. What kind of future to I want to leave him behind. What kind of earth will we leave him behind?
I believe Al Gore is right when he says, the time to act is now.
This isn't a partisan issue, or a political issue. It's a moral issue. No matter if he runs for President or not. This campaign for our environment is important to all human beings.
We must give all OUR energy to it.
Vice President Gore had the attention of so many different people yesterday, Press, youth, old, Senators, Congressmen and women, and the world. We have to solve this issue.
If you haven't signed on to Al Gore's issues in the past, I ask you to sign up to his website and keep informed.
As I left, I also ran into Tom Harkin and Hillary Clinton they both seemed very concerned to help Al Gore change policies in this country to get us to a better future. He needs our help, they need our help.
Give them your help.