Tipper and Al

With the announcement of the Gore separation, it appears that another couple is headed towards singledom. I keep wondering why this one seems to be hitting people harder than most celebrity breakups.

Maybe it's because we've "known" the Gores for so long. Twenty-five years ago, when Tipper was just beginning to push for warning labels for records marketed to children, I thought Tipper would be a great name for an Irish Setter. A few years later, when Al Gore joined Bill Clinton's campaign, we all got to know Al and Tipper better and the Gores' marriage seemed, well, solid. As the years went by, their marriage only seemed stronger - particularly in comparison to that other marriage - and while I found "The Kiss" at the 2000 Democratic convention pretty obnoxious, it still reminded us how committed Al and Tipper appeared to be to one another.

Maybe it's because we didn't see this coming. If Bill and Hillary announced a separation, we'd look at each other knowingly and say, "She finally had enough." If Rudy and Judy broke up we'd shrug our shoulders and say, "What did they expect when they started dating each other when he was still married?" We don't like to be surprised by these things - as if couples should give us a heads up when things start falling apart.

Maybe it's because they seemed to be such good friends. Gosh, if they can't make it...we don't even want to finish the sentence. I think that's the part that scares most of us, whether we're married or single.

There's a lot of speculation - particularly on the morning news shows and the cable networks - about why the Gores would take this step after 40 years. Even as the anchors say it makes them uncomfortable to discuss it...they continue to discuss it.

I hope the talking heads move on soon and give the Gores some peace. They don't owe us an explanation, no matter how curious we may be.