I told you before, I would have strongly urged the view, had I been a Bush advisor, to ask for comparable recounts in all close races, including the Midwest, and litigation on all alleged irregularities, in anticipation of a slash and burn strategy by Gore. Bush, for sufficient reasons, did not pursue that route. However, he declined to do so on the assumption of certain rules which, are, in fact, constitutionally mandated. Now, you propose not merely an unconstitutional compromise, but a change of rule that would have mandated a different strategy had Bush been apprised of it sooner. So, no, I do not think it is inherently fair. I do not think the butterfly ballots are illegal; I do not think that spoiled ballots, once cast, should be counted, regardless of Buchanan's speculations; I do not think that unpunched chads should be counted; and the Seminole business did not involve ballots, but ballot requests, where the voter ID number had been omitted.
I do not consider the behavior of the election board and secretary of state to have been especially partisan. Certification could have occurred by the deadline had an earnest effort been made. In any event, it does not matter much, since the Florida Supreme Court intervened, and established the new deadline, and everything will be subject to legal review. Thus, everyone has his say, and Katherine Harris is not the final arbiter. |
