A Snapshot Of Tipper Gore

People are still asking Tipper Gore the all-important question: How about that kiss?

"Well, I think Al was asked about it first and he said he was trying to send a message to me. I can say, message delivered!" says Mrs. Gore.

It was a message Al Gore first sent at his high school prom, the very first time he ever met Mary Elizabeth Aitcheson, nicknamed Tipper.

"Both us had dates with other people," says the vice president, "and I talked with her and I was smitten."

They've been married 30 years, reports CBS News Correspondent Rita Braver. They have three daughters, a son and one grandson. Al Gore calls Tipper his most important adviser.

"I can't imagine making a really important life decision without consulting her thoroughly," Al Gore says.

But her role is more sounding board than policy wonk. She is an accomplished photographer who's used her skill and her celebrity to draw attention to issues like mental health and homelessness. She says she'll keep doing those things if she becomes first lady.

"I'll continue to be an advocate for people that I feel like need the extra voice," she says.

Her interest in mental health has a personal aspect: In 1989 she suffered and recovered from a bout of clinical depression.

She now makes it a point to take time out for fun, showing off the skills she developed as drummer in an all girls high school rock band.

Though she loves to go out and have a good time, she's also remembered for leading a drive to create a rating system that would identify violent or sexually explicit lyrics. And today she bristles at suggestions that she and her husband have turned down the volume on their criticism of Hollywood in exchange for political and financial support:

"I have always said I think that gratuitous violence is not healthy for kids. I think that producers should be held accountable for that," she says.

Tipper Gore has had a close up view of the good, the bad and the ugly of public life. She was reportedly appalled by President Clinton's behavior in the Monica Lewinsky episode, but understands how painful it can be to have every aspect of your life scrutinized.

Knowing what she knows, does she really want to be first lady?

"Well, what I want is for people to decide in favor of Al Gore and Joe Lieberman based on the power of the ideas they're advocating."