House Speaker Pelosi Claims Al Gore Invented Internet Technology?

I'm sure by now we are all aware of the Netroots Nation conference that happened in Austin, Texas last weekend. Well, did you know that without Al Gore it wouldn't have happened? That's right, since Al Gore invented the Internet... I know, I know, that is the old Al Gore joke where he famously claimed that he invented the World Wide Web. Everyone knows that Al Gore had little to do with the Internet, of course. But at least one person, obviously one rather easy to bamboozle, still thinks Al Gore did invent the Internet and one paper is happy to help her tell the world about it. In fact she thinks he invented all the technology inherent in that Internet. And she is currently the Speaker of the House of Representatives, sadly enough.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi attended the Nutrooters gathering and, as reported in the Houston Chronicle, let loose with this gem while introducing Al Gore to those assembled: "Without him, there would be no Netroots Nation. There wouldn't be the technology."

Huh? Without Al Gore "there wouldn't be the technology" to have an Internet based gathering like Netroots Nation?

She has to be kidding, right?

Nancy, um, I'd like to help you out, babe. See, Al Gore didn't invent the Internet and he is NOT responsible for any of the technology that is connected with it. Not a single line of code did he write, not one piece of hardware was created by the former VP and current global warming snake oil salesman.

Now, of course we jest about Al Gore claiming to have invented the internet. After all, Gore never really said he invented the Internet. What he said, instead, was that it wouldn't have existed if it weren't for his deft hand at legislation.

His exact quote to Wolf Blitzer was:

During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system.

Self serving, half truth that it is, he wasn't really saying he invented the Internet. But he was saying it exists because of his loving legislative care, and even with that he is still not exactly telling the truth. The Internet existed before Al Gore's legislative efforts, we all know.

But don't let the cat out of the bag for Speaker Pelosi. It might ruin her hero worship of the great pretender, Al Gore. And let's not forget the Houston Chronicle helping her disseminate such silly propaganda.

(H/T Doug Clifton)

(Photo credit: kingston.house.gov)