The more Vice President Al Gore tries to distance himself from President Clinton, the more he seems like a clone -- at least politically -- of Clinton. The most recent of his campaign policy speeches, given a couple of days ago in Boston, proves that. Gore's legislative agenda continues to embody every worn out liberal slogan, ideal and notion of a utopia we will never achieve in this world.

But that's OK because such agendas in today's political climate are proven losers.

Witness the failure of socialized medicine a la "HillaryCare." Witness the demise of Bill Clinton's attempt to allow open homosexuality in the military. Witness the outrage over Gore's "no controlling legal authority" White House fundraising excuse and his abuse of a Buddhist temple for campaign donations in 1996.

Witness also the plethora of executive orders issued by Clinton because he could not get popular support for things like huge federal land grabs, making war on sovereign nations, expanding anti-gun and pro-abortion legislation, and federalizing a new range of crimes.

If, as the mainstream pundits insist, our country is "moderate" to "left-leaning," then how come all these dripping liberals have to be dishonest and disingenuous just to get their legislative agendas passed?

Gore's recent speech, designed to stake out his position on crime, was a liberal propaganda show from start to finish. Delivered in Boston on Monday, it was complete with the customary photo-op backdrop of local police officials, adoring crowds and sound bites over truth and factual substance.

For the entire world it was less a political speech than a blueprint for Nazi America.

Here are the speech's major problems:

• Gore wants to make it a federal law that all handguns "shall be" licensed and registered, with owners being forced to submit to a photo-type ID issued by government. He reasoned, "We require a license to drive a car in this nation in order to keep unsafe drivers off the road. Now we should require a license to own a handgun -- so people who shouldn't have them can't get them."

  Someone should tell the vice president -- for the 1,000th time -- criminals with guns don't register them, are never going to register them, and aren't paying attention to laws requiring them to register guns now. Also, his comparison between automobiles and guns is worse than lame. While Americans are guaranteed the right to travel freely, the mode of transportation is not constitutionally guaranteed. Driving a car is a privilege; owning a firearm, in this country, is a right. Government is allowed to regulate a privilege; it is supposed to protect a right. Firearm ownership, by comparison, is explicitly spelled out in the Second Amendment.

  Finally, someone should also tell Mr. Gore that while all states require driver licenses, there is no federal law requiring persons to have one. As usual, Gore's solution to this problem is more intrusive government regulation and less freedom.

• Gore tried to blame concealed carry of weapons laws on the recent high school shootings, which was so misleading it borders on the criminal.

  Never mind that these kids are getting their guns illegally and as such conceal them illegally. In fact these kids who shoot other kids at school violate somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 laws regarding firearms when they commit their crimes. So where is the justification for adding new gun laws when there is obviously no indication that new ones will even work?

• Gore openly and brazenly lied about the National Rifle Association's position on concealed handguns.

  He said of those advocating more concealed gun laws, "... they can't conceal the fact that they're just doing the NRA's bidding." The fact is the NRA has been a leading advocate for safe, responsible and legal firearms ownership in regulatory environments, though most in the NRA membership rightfully advocate little restrictions and regulations of firearms ownership. Gore committed an obvious lie in order to create ill will and thus garner votes.

• Gore also said he will work to pass new "hate crimes" legislation, adding, "When a killer on a rampage picks Jews, blacks and Asian-Americans as his victims, I do not understand how some can still argue that hate crimes are no different than all other crimes. They are different."

  No, Mr. Gore, they are not "different." People who are killed because of their race -- or their religion, political beliefs or just because they were in somebody's way -- are just as dead as others who are killed regardless of the reason. Your rhetoric is designed to stir emotions, create division among the electorate, and obfuscate (that means "to lie about") the real issues surrounding crime. Only a scumbag would seek to garner votes in this dubious and dishonest manner.

There was more.

At one point regarding the licensing of guns, Gore said, "... To me, it's worth it. And I am sure the decent people of America will agree, because too many illegal guns are flooding our communities and too many precious lives are being lost." In other words if you oppose him on this measure, you're not a "decent" person.

The VP called for an end to "the hateful practice of racial profiling in America." He said, "If I am elected president, the banning of racial profiling will be the first civil rights action of the new century." Hypocritically, however, Gore -- along with Clinton -- has been "profiling" conservative religious figures, gun owners, property owners, tax protesters, pro-life advocates and families as wacko kooks for nearly a decade. Only this time, Gore obviously wants to do that as president instead of merely vice president.

"I want to see the day when America's police, prosecutors and public defenders reflect the full diversity of our nation," Mr. Gore also said. In other words he's announcing that he still favors giving jobs to unqualified people just because of their race -- an unconstitutional and illegal use of the law.

While on the one hand it disturbs me to see a fellow American trash the founding principles of this country, it also makes me happy because such a political agenda these days is a sure loser.

On that note, Mr. Gore, I say please -- don't change your message one bit.