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Al Gore and the massage therapist.

She went to the police, but then she did not want to go forward:

The case reopened in January 2009. Detectives interviewed the woman but determined there was insufficient evidence to support the allegations.

In a transcript of the interview, the massage therapist said she was doing requested abdominal work on Mr. Gore when he demanded she go lower.

?I was shocked and I did not massage beyond what is considered a safe, nonsexual area of the abdomen,? she said. ?He further insisted and acted angry, becoming verbally sharp and loud.

?I went into much deeper shock as I realized it appeared he was demanding sexual favors or sexual behaviors.?

She alleged he later tried to have sex with her.

?I did not immediately call the police as I feared being made into a public spectacle and my reputation being destroyed,? she said. ?I was not sure what to tell them and was concerned my story would not be believed since there was no DNA evidence from a completed act of rape.?

There are so many questions. How credible is this woman? Women can lie, but if we reject them reflexively, it means that men can always get away with this crime, which occurs in private. What did the police say to her that discouraged her? Why is she coming forward now? Was she offered money/favors to back off or is she pressing forward for money now? Gore is a billionaire. If Gore really did what she said, does it suggest that he's had other massages and developed a modus operandi of requesting abdominal work, etc. etc. Is the abdomen a normal part of a legitimate massage? I've had a lot of full body massages in my time, and the abdomen was never included. But I am a woman. Maybe it's normal for a man. Or do you have to make a special request? Like Al's abs could be really knotted up from too many crunches. Look at him. How could he need abdominal work? As opposed to abdominal play. But, of course, the argument from his side has to be that the woman is lying. How awful this all is? And what of poor Tipper? Could this have something to do with the marriage breakup?

Full post as published by Althouse on June 24, 2010 (boomark / email).