Ex-Vice President Al Gore and his new book are also featured as the cover story on the newest issue of Time Magazine. Gore said it’s too easy—and too partisan—to simply blame the policies of President George W. Bush.

We are all responsible for decisions our country makes, Gore says in an exerpt. “We have a Congress. We have an independent judiciary. We have checks and balances. We are a nation of laws. We have free speech. We have a free press. Have they all failed us?

“Why has America’s public discourse become less focused and clear, less reasoned? Faith in the power of reason—the belief that free citizens can govern themselves wisely and fairly by resorting to logical debate on the basis of the best evidence available, instead of raw power—remains the central premise of American democracy. This premise is now under assault.”