So whaddya think? Al need to worry about a different kind of heat?

I know it was the enquirer who broke the case, but it was also the enquirer who broke the Lewinsky story.

Looks like the cops are interested enough to reopen the case...

I am always suspect when it takes someone 4 years to speak out.

The accuser did first speak out six weeks after the alleged incident, though police claimed she was uncooperative and refused to help with the investigation. Then she reappeared in 2009 with a prepared statement and clothing for DNA testing.

A few thoughts:

1. I think if Gore did order up the previously unknown late night masseuse (irrespective of whether he engaged in illegal sexual activity), he was an utter idiot. Highly public figures need to be on guard 24/7 against people who want to blackmail them, and they need to use gatekeepers to weed out the unsavory characters. If Gore got all crunked and horny and made a late night drunk dial call to a random masseuse from the Yellow Pages, he deserves all the BS into which he waded: he should know better than to roll the dice with fate.

2. I know two licensed professional masseuses (no, I do not use their services) and they typically work out of retail spaces or in the homes of known clients. Meeting up with strangers at hotels invites trouble, though I hesitate to say this out of concern that I sound like I am blaming the victim. Nothing but problems can eventually come from late night encounters with random strangers at hotels, no matter what your trade.

3. With regard to the four-year gap: Gore is a powerful person with powerful friends, and I think that a case could be made that this accuser might have feared retribution. Of course, a case also could be made that this accuser and Gore's legal representative simply failed to reach an agreement on hush money, and her only recourse was to go public (both scenarios pure speculation on my part).

4. Gore could make all of this go away by providing evidence that he was not at the alleged hotel and did not make the call. Unfortunately, I suspect he was there and did have some sort of encounter with the accuser, or else we would be seeing all sorts of evidence that the story is without merit. Whether or not there was groping/touching/force will never be known, but methinks Gore ultimately created his own s**tstorm here.

Why should someone have to prove they were not at a location 4 years ago? Who keeps a paper trail like that? And what if he was there but did nothing to the woman? Not to sound like a pig, but I would imagine unless he has some type of fetish if he was going to sexually assault someone they would not be 50 years old. And if that were the case I doubt you would stop at just one.

Will this story at least end up with a happy ending for Al Gore?

Ryan:

I am 46, and I find that I am most attracted to women around my own age, so it is not surprising to me that Gore would find a 50-year-old "hot." That being said, I will add that I am monogamous and happily married, in case my Internet stalkers had ideas about taking this statement out of context. :-) Also, even if Gore prefered 20-year-old airheads, let us not forget the "beer goggles" effect, to keep the crudeness going.

Anyways, as for paper trails: a guy like Gore follows a schedule that should be fairly easy to document, with book tours, speaking engagements, and on top of this he has an entourage of assistants. I have no doubt that the people who manage his affairs keep detailed records on his schedule, and if he was nowhere near the Hotel Lucia, that should be easy to debunk.

Also: here is the transcript of the interview with the accuser. She names the hotel and room number, and I read elsewhere that a Gore spokesperson confirmed in 2006 that Gore was indeed at that hotel on the day in question. I should note that the masseuse indicated in the interview that it was the Hotel Lucia that called for the services, not Gore, so this probably shoots down my crunked/horny drunk dial scenario.

(just got MikeyA's joke)

Tsk, tsk...

i really don't want to think about Al Gore having sex with anyone

Ha!

Al does seem more suited to having sex with Rosie the maid from The Jetsons.

"if he was going to sexually assault someone they would not be 50 years old."

that kind of thing has nothing to do with the 'hotness' of the victim. it's a power thing, and I can definately see Gore having a 'power thing' going on...

You would think he would have been worried about leaving his carbon footprint.

http://instantrimshot.com/

That's the best I got.

OK, Lets suppose for the sake of argument he did have some kind of sexual contact with this woman at that time and place ( why else keep the clothing for DNA). It may have been consensual. Then either she changed her mind about the consensual part or she planned all along to manuever him into a compromising position for later blackmail. Either way, Gore used some pretty bad judgement here. Someone that vulnerable to public dishonor and with his kind of money should use his head - the one on his shoulders - and not get himself into that kind of a position in the first place.

Gore might've been looking for an escort and was either too cheap or too dumb to know the difference between a call girl and a licensed masseuse.

Where is the Secret Service in all this? Wouldn't they know what the hell went down, at least peripherally?

With things the way they are now, I thought those guys check the background of everyone who comes into contact with current/former high officials?

The Secret Service won't talk. It's part of their job.

From HistoryMike: 1. I think if Gore did order up the previously unknown late night masseuse... he was an utter idiot.

So new?

I think the bimbo is trying to cash in. The most likely scenario is that algore paid for what he thought was going to be a happy ending. When the masseuse failed to come through he demanded his bread back... or maybe she demanded a larger tip. Whatever. The case is old news and not worth talking about.

"Someone that vulnerable to public dishonor and with his kind of money should use his head - the one on his shoulders - and not get himself into that kind of a position in the first place."

Can anyone say 'Tiger'?

Does he still have secret service? after all, he's just a citizen now. I know other presidents didnt keep the secret service after their terms were over.

http://www.secretservice.gov/protection.shtml

Former Vice Presidents do not get Secret Service protection. Secret Service protection to former Presidents is limited to ten years after leaving office.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20080610/ai_n25506273/

Congress passed a law (not uncommon) to extend Secret Service protection to former VP Cheney for six months after he left office.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/24/AR2010062406355.html

According to the Washington Post its a he said - she said. She waited weeks to report the incident. She asked the Inquirer for $1m for her story. Said she didn't report it right away because she was afraid of losing her job? Gore's a powerful person, could be she felt that he could apply pressure on her employer. I tend to think its more true than not. Hind sight being perfect, she should have run from that room screaming bloody hell when it happened.

From Holland: Hind sight being perfect, she should have run...

I don't see any hind sight about it. What would you do if some man tried to rape you? Not scream, run and call the police?

I don't care who it is, from the President of the United States all the way down to the lowest piece of pond scum on the beltway, the police and the commercial media will listen and at least get the story out.

Of course, there is that bit about Chappaquiddick Island and a bridge, so maybe you're right.

I'm sure the Gores' recent seperation announcement had nothing to do with this story...

madjack?

don't you think had this woman ran screaming to the police she wouldn't end up like Vince Foster?

just sayin'...