‘Proud’ Polluter Sean Hannity Launches Pathetic Smear Attack Against Al Gore

[Richard Tafoya]

Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/18/hannity-pathetic/

On “Hannity’s America” tonight, Fox anchor Sean Hannity attacked Al Gore for what he called a case of “global warming hypocrisy.” Hannity presented no evidence to suggest Gore is currently flying on private jets or doing anything inconsistent with his record as one of our nation’s leading environmentalists. Here’s a review of some of the lowlights from tonight’s show:

Hannity attacked Gore for taking a private jet from New Hampshire to Washington DC in January 2000 in order to attend the State of the Union address.

– Al Gore was the sitting Vice President at the time, and as such, he followed Secret Service security protocols. That is why he did not fly commercially, as Hannity seemed to suggest he should have.

Hannity cited ThinkProgress’s posting from last Friday, claiming that we “outed” Gore for still using private jets. He called it “another moment of global warming irony.”

– It’s unclear what “irony” Hannity is referring to. As Gore’s office explained to us, he reduces his emissions as much as he can, drives a hybrid, flies commercially whenever possible, and purchases green power. In the few instances where he may have flown a private jet, he purchases carbon offsets for the emissions. Nothing in that record is inconsistent with someone trying to reduce his carbon footprint on our planet.

Hannity said: “I travel on private planes, I have an SUV that I’m proud of. I think this global warming hysteria of his is ridiculous.”

– Thus, the real “irony” of tonight’s show was Hannity feigning concern for Gore’s carbon emissions, while expressing his naive belief that his own emissions are having no impact on our climate. If Hannity were truly concerned about carbon emissions, he would follow the example of Al Gore, cutback on his luxurious private jet lifestyle, and begin purchasing carbon offsets. If he’s not concerned about carbon emissions, then he should stop launching politically-motivated hit jobs that don’t have a point.