Another Snopes Embarrassment

I couldn't believe what I was reading. Al Gore said he invented the Internet? This couldn't be true--it had to be taken out of context. And Snopes states "Al Gore did not say "I invented the Internet." After fully proclaiming this to be false, Snopes goes on to say the exact quote is:

"During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet."

Oh, so he only claimed to "create" the Internet, not "invent" it. Snopes then goes on to try to prove that these two words are not really synonyms , that it was pulled out of context (Gore was answering a question about why he should be elected over his opponent), and that Gore was perfectly accurate in what he said because he had promoted the Internet throughout his time in Congress. In fact, many other websites and even some of the true Internet entrepreneurs are making this claim to support Gore. "Promote" and "create" are not synonyms in any way. 

If you want to call this claim mostly false on the basis that Al Gore clearly was not thinking about what he was saying and meant to say "promoted the Internet," that is fine. But saying it is not true on the basis that "create" and "invent" are not synonyms whereas "create" and "promote" are, is false. Saying that Gore had anything to do with invention or even that he helped the Internet take off is false.

(The inventor of the World Wide Web is responsible for getting the Internet to take off--if you had to type 93.184.216.34 instead of simple names, you would find the experience to be a pain in the rear. I actually do remember accessing the Internet like this in the 80s and believe me, I did not spend long doing it. I happily went back to my favorite BBS'.) 

Saying that Gore helped to promote the Internet through research legislation, would be 100% true. But that is not what he said, and although Snopes is certain that it is clear Gore did not mean what he said, after watching the clip numerous times, I really don't think Gore is even clear himself. It seems to me that Gore believes his actions did create the Internet even though they simply helped to consolidate it into one united Internet by promoting research in that area. This is more along the lines of Eli Lilly invented a new cancer drug and doing the research on it to get it to pass through FDA requirements, but then the FDA takes credit for "creating" the drug. 

I am amazed that this time Snopes did the research but ignored it. I have no clue how they could claim this statement is 100% false simply because one synonym replaces another. I do not understand why they use a made up Eisenhower example that they admit is made up and then in that example try to equate changing “took the initiative in creating the Interstate Highway System,” into “inventing the concept of highways" or personally going out and dugging "ditches across the country to help build the roadway." I think everyone realizes that the inventors of Apple computers do not personally build each one. I think saying you created a computer is clearly different than saying you created a computer operating system. But from the beginning Snopes is using an imaginary situation to support its claim that the statement about Gore is false. The fact they have to do serious word manipulation to support this imaginary situation, makes it shaky at best. 

The facts are this: The Internet began under the Dept of Defense in the 1960s. TCPs were invented in the 70s. In the 80s, shortly after Gore entered Congress, it began consolidating several pre-existing networks and was moved to the NSF because of this consolidation. In 1989, commercial ISPs began to join with the NSF network (AOL had been in existence since 1985)--the same year Berners-Lee began working on his WWW idea. It was not until 1991 that the "Gore Bill" funding the costs of combining large networks was passed. These connections had already been taking place throughout the 80s, so even though this research money funded them more quickly than they would have otherwise happened is probable, but the key here is that there is nothing to indicate that they would not have happened at all without this funding. 

Although Eisenhower never claimed to invent it, I find it ironic that if you type "Who created the Interstate Highway System" into Google, Eisenhower's name and picture comes up. Keep in mind, Eisenhower merely signed the act into law, which was only the last step in creating the system. You do not see anything about Al Gore if you type "Who created the Internet" into Google. I get it. People love Gore. I mean, he won a Nobel Peace Prize for writing a picture book without any citations in it. But trying to twist what he said just so it can be semi-true is taking his adoration to a Paul Bunyan level.