Knowing this makes watching the performance even more stunning. Hammond delivers an expertly controlled riff that finds its way back to the one infamous word — "lockbox" — seven times. The real Gore had introduced the term in wonky position papers, promising to create a Medicare "lockbox" to keep politicians from using surplus funds for their own pet projects. Hammond turned the phrase into hypnotic symbol of Gore's stiffness. Listen to the pause on the "b" in "benefits" or the condescending lilt every time he begins a sentence with, "In my plan ..." It's no wonder that after the show Gore's campaign forced him to watch it as an example of how not to act.