A message from The Great Divider:
AP National Clinton: Vote Need Not Split Country
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Regardless of whether Al Gore or George Bush emerges victorious in the drawn-out presidential election, some partisans will feel wronged, President Clinton said Wednesday.
And while trying not to appear too partisan himself, Clinton nonetheless made it clear he thinks Gore is correct to continue pressing for hand recounts in Florida.
''If the vice president is elected, there will always be some Republicans who don't believe he should have been,'' Clinton said in an interview with The Discovery Channel.
''If Governor Bush is elected, there will always be some Democrats who believe that Al Gore not only won the popular vote in the country, but also had more people in Florida who wanted to vote for him and perhaps more who did, which is, you know, one good argument for counting all the so-called undercounted ballots ... .''
Clinton said close elections do not have to split the country
''Back in 1800, we had 36 ballots in the House of Representatives before we resolved it, and it produced Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Jefferson turned out to be successful because he was mindful of how divided the country was,'' Clinton said.
''So I think that you cannot predict how this is going to come out. I think it depends a lot on whether the constitutional system is followed, the will of the people is determined. And then it depends on how people behave once they get in office.'' |
