THE SCRAPBOOK considers it an appalling invasion of privacy, not to mention an invitation to the worst sort of Tartuffery, that we require our political leaders to disclose their charitable giving in their tax forms. But given that we do, last week's anti-Cheney frenzy in the press was amazingly onesided. In our Nexis search, only four of the 162 stories we turned up mentioned the Gores' embarrassing 1997 tax returns, which showed a total of $ 353 in giving from an income of almost $ 200,000. Like the Gores, the Cheneys will no doubt ratchet up their giving next year to achieve a respectable overall percentage. But will this actually be charity, or the result of a very public shakedown? And still reporters wonder why politicians call them names.