Gore Says Thank You (Finally)

By Josh Tyrangiel

Just five months and 11 days after he threw in the towel, Al Gore held a thank-you party for campaign staff members last Thursday night at Washington's Cap City Brewery. There was a cash bar--attendees did receive a laminated Cap City VIP Club card for 25% off--but the mood was hardly resentful, thanks to Jim Jeffords. "Finally a one-vote margin counts in our favor," joked Joseph Lieberman before slipping out to do Larry King Live. Gore, thicker but still wearing faded jeans and trademark earth-tone shirt, introduced himself with some losing-candidate one-liners. "I used to be the next President of the United States," he said to wild applause. He had some new material too: "You know I'm a visiting professor now...They just call me V.P. I'm holding on." When it was all over, Gore worked a rope line while faint chants of "Gore in Four" echoed through the room.