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"Yesterday, the political interwebs were abuzz with stories reporting that former Vice President Al Gore and his wife of 40 years, Tipper, have decided to separate. Romance and politics can be an unpredictable combination, but this news truly surprised me! The Gores have always seemed like such an affectionate and committed couple; at the 2000 Democratic National Committee, the two famously shared a very public smooch on stage. According to Politico, the couple announced their split by sending an email to friends and family explaining, &amp;amp;#8220;This is very much a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together following a process of long and careful consideration. We ask for respect for our privacy and that of our family, and we do not intend to comment further.&amp;amp;#8221; We&amp;amp;#8217;ve talked about political break ups before, and I think what&amp;amp;#8217;s so fascinating about these splits is that they&amp;#x27;re almost always mutual decisions. Further, these break ups, on the surface anyway, are invariably full of nothing but respect, admiration, friendship and the like. In my past break ups, those sorts of feelings don&amp;amp;#8217;t come right away. Oh no, sir. Right after a split, I&amp;amp;#8217;m either trash talking with friends or drowning my sorrows in a tub of rocky road. Weeks, sometimes months later, I can finally admit that the ex isn&amp;amp;#8217;t a complete cad. But, after 40 years together, perhaps the Gores have found their love for each other has changed from romance to friendship. What do you make of the Gore split? Are you as surprised as I am? Outside of politics and entertainment, are break ups ever truly mutual? And do you think freshly broken up couples can immediately have mutual respect and good feelings for each other? Splits are the pits! * 4 tips to help you get through a break up. * Are these two reality stars really calling it quits? * How long did it take you to get over your last relationship? More Ways to Get Glamour FREE Beauty Stuff! Enter for your Chance to Win a New Prize Every Day! Visit Shopglamour.com for cute stuff starting at just $10! Enter the latest Glamour sweepstakes! Follow us on Twitter Add us to your iGoogle homepage Photo: Getty Images."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/blogs/smitten/2010/06/al-and-tipper-gore-separate-af>