Al Gore, while better at not making dumb goofs, is more... bland. Bush has more personality than Gore does, and that appeals to voters. They want someone they can empathize with... someone easy to listen to, someone they could see being friends with.

As for how Bush got in the white house... well there was a lot of stuff going on down in Flordia (Jeb Bush's state), and that whole recount issue. It's very possible that Bush stole the election, but I don't know enough on the subject to be sure. Whatever happened though, there was a lot that made a mockery of our country. It was a messed up election, that's a fact.