Gore's stupid comments were not for the American people, they were for the stupid leftists he has to court to get renominated. It's a risk he has to take... courting the left without alienating the great cross section of the American public.
As for Powell's comments, fine except for the "with all due respect" part. Utterly no respect is due for Gore.
True, but when a diplomat says "with all due respect", it means, "you are full of sh!t."