Al and Tipper Gore, married 40 years, to separate

[catlover79]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100601/...ore_separation

By ERIK SCHELZIG, Associated Press Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, are separating after 40 years of marriage that included a White House run when their sunny relationship offered a counterpoint to President Bill Clinton's philandering.

According to an e-mail circulated among the couple's associates on Tuesday, the Gores said it was "a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together following a process of long and careful consideration."

Gore spokeswoman Kalee Kreider confirmed the statement came from the Gores, but declined to comment further.

The Gores were telling friends they "grew apart" after 40 years of marriage and there was no affair involved, according to two longtime close associates and family friends, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The associates said the Gores, over time, had carved out separate lives, with the former vice president on the road frequently. One of the associates said: "Their lives had gotten more and more separated."

Al Gore lost the 2000 presidential election to Republican George W. Bush. He has since campaigned worldwide to draw attention to climate change, which in 2007 led to a Nobel Peace Prize and an Oscar for the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth."

The Gores, who were married on May 19, 1970, at the National Cathedral in Washington, crafted an image as a happily married couple during his eight-year stint as vice president in the 1990s and a presidential candidate in 2000. The couple famously exchanged a long kiss during the 2000 Democratic presidential convention.

The image of their warm relationship stood in sharp contrast to the Clinton marriage rocked by Bill Clinton's affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, a scandal that hung over Gore's own presidential campaign.

Al Gore at the time said his wife was "someone I've loved with my whole heart since the night of my high school senior prom."

On Halloween, Al and Tipper Gore would dress up in costume and greet trick-or-treaters who made their way to the vice president's mansion. One year, she was dressed as a puppy and he was dressed as Underdog.

Tipper Gore was a co-founder in 1985 of the Parents Music Resource Center, which pushed for parental warning labels on music with violent or sexually explicit lyrics. The group drew the ire of musicians ranging from Dee Snider of Twisted Sister to Frank Zappa, who said warning labels were unnecessary and a danger to freedom.

Tipper Gore later became friends with the late Zappa's wife, Gail, and played drums and sang backup on daughter Diva Zappa's album in 1999.

The Gores have four adult children, Karenna, Kristin, Sarah and Albert III.

In a letter written to then-girlfriend Tipper as a 17-year-old college freshman, Al Gore wrote: "Mother's having a fit about me riding the motorcycle back to Harvard. Dad's mad at my long hair."

Gore later held his father's former seats in the U.S. House and Senate for 16 years. He first ran for president in 1988 at age 39, but drew little support outside the South.

A subsequent bid in 1992 was derailed after the Gores' 6-year-old son almost died after being hit by a car in 1989.

"It was a very spiritual time for both of us," Tipper Gore later wrote. "In Al's case, he decided to write a book and not to run for president in 1992."

The book was "Earth in the Balance," and Al Gore ended up in the thick of the 1992 campaign anyway — as Bill Clinton's running mate.

Tipper Gore, who has acknowledged treatment for depression after Albert III's accident, is a vocal advocate on mental health issues.

[benjamoon]

That's too bad, but at least it sounds amicable on both sides

I got a tweet today that said "who woulda guessed the Gore marriage would end before the Clinton marriage"

[SueAnn_Rose]

Shocking, it was a long marriage but I wonder why the split.

[Cactus Jack]

Bill Clinton: Howd ya do it Al? Show me

[Waterston_Fan]

Originally Posted by benjamoon

That's too bad, but at least it sounds amicable on both sides

I got a tweet today that said "who woulda guessed the Gore marriage would end before the Clinton marriage"

The tweet you got, I saw that on the page CNN.com page that they had about the marriage. I laughed at that...

I'm still shocked they are divorcing.

[Marvo301]

I guess now we know that the real "inconvenient truth" in Al Gore's life was his marriage. It's always sad when a marriage comes to an end no matter what the reason.

[sunshinefizzy]

OMG!!!

[Dr. John Becker]

As much as I can't stand their politics, I hate to hear of a 40 year marriage ending.

[catlover79]

From what I heard, there was no affair or third party involved. Al and Tipper had simply grown apart. Not only had they been married since 1970, they'd started dating in 1965!!!! It's just really sad.

[USATVFAN]

The Gores in 2000

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by The Jeffersons Fan

The Gores in 2000

Oh my gosh - who could forget that moment???

[Tweety]

"The Kiss" was the first public sign that the marriage was a sham. That was a joke.

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by Tweety

"The Kiss" was the first public sign that the marriage was a sham. That was a joke.

Not to mention gross!!

[Janice]

There was a third party involved. Bush! Yup, it was...."all together now, BUSH'S FAULT!"

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/vid...d_divorce.html

[Janice]

Originally Posted by catlover79

Oh my gosh - who could forget that moment???

I know I've been trying to forget it for 10 years now.