The Math Doesn't Add Up for Al Gore as He Takes on the Climate-Gate E-mails

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Trivial Pursuit

Al Gore says the Climate-gate e-mails, which some say impugn global warming science, are silly and dated: "I haven't read all the e-mails, but the most recent one is more than 10 years old." About the e-mails, Gore used the "10 years old" line three times in recent interviews.

Reports indicate the earliest e-mail in Climate-gate was sent March of 1996, but the most recent was less than one month old. E-mails discussing the "recent lack of warming" were sent in October of this year. And the note sent by climate research unit director Phil Jones asking colleagues to delete e-mails was sent in May of last year.

Six-Million Dollar Man

Almost $6 million from February's stimulus package went to two firms run by Hillary Clinton's former political pollster. The Hill newspaper reports the money helped preserve three jobs at Burson-Marsteller, a global public relations firm headed by Mark Penn. So, the 6 million "saved or created" three jobs.

The assignment was part of a PR campaign to raise awareness about the switch from analog to digital television. The company says the contract was awarded fairly and that much of the money went to ad buys and third-party vendors.

Bad Reputation

A recent Gallup poll ranks members of Congress below car salesmen in honesty and ethical standards.

Fifty-five percent of the respondents said lawmakers were low or very low in those traits. Car salespeople came in at 51 percent. Senators were at 49 percent, stockbrokers 46, and HMO managers 43. The most honest and ethical in the survey: nurses.

Sweet Irony

One of the treats served to guests at Monday's White House Christmas Ball was a hit for some Republican lawmakers. It is a chocolate cookie in the shape of an acorn.

You'll recall that the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now, or ACORN, is a liberal group with whom the president worked in the early nineties. ACORN continues to face allegations of illegal activity.

Well the ironic dessert at the White House apparently wasn't lost on Iowa Republican Congressman Steve King who snapped up some of the nutty treats and then took some photos: "ACORN investigation roads lead to the White House. I didn't expect to see such stark symbolism."

King also notes he delivered a White House ACORN cookie to the judiciary committee chairman in an effort to urge a house hearing on ACORN.

— Fox News Channel's Lanna Britt contributed to this report.