Mornin' to ya! Let's put the facts on the table.
Although Gore has called for a statewide hand recount and Bush has refused, this actually is moot. The candidates don't run the election.
What's factual is that Gore, within the 72 hours subsequent to election day, called for a hand recount in four Florida counties. The Florida Legislature enabled this, but provided insufficient time for such a recount to happen. Bush had the same right to call for recounts in counties which would have been favorable to him, but he opted not to exercise this right.
A fair and reasonable secretary of state routinely, in any other election where she didn't have a vested interest, could have and would have allowed for time sufficient for those recounts. As the Florida Supreme Court, recognizing the right to vote and have that vote counted, ruled that the secretary of state had discretion to accept later returns prior to statewide certification. However, Ambassador-elect Harris, Florida Bush Co-Chair, is not fair, is not reasonable and has been patently biased for Bush.
Meanwhile, it's been repeatedly distorted by GOPwinger pundits everywhere that there's been recount after recount. So what? All Gore did was, as was his right to do, request one hand recounts in four counties, this after finishing behind 327 votes out of six million cast. It doesn't matter that Gore handpicked the counties to count--it was his right, under Florida law, to do so.
Now, Florida, nor any other state, can pass a law for which compliance is impossible to meet. In other words, a candidate cannot be offered the right for a recount but insufficient time for that recount to take place.
The Florida Supreme Court recognized the conflict in the Florida statute relative to the terms "shall" and "may," and concluded "may" was not only contemporary, but also enabled the time necessary for the candidate's recount. Thus, the Court ruled the recounts must go on, under the supreme premise that nothing is more precious in America than having the right to vote and having the right to have that vote counted.
Now, the Bush Campaign has done everything possible to inhibit, impede and delay Gore's request for one recount. One might say, to use a Texas term, that George W. Bush is a bit gun shy to have those recounts fully counted.
If Bush thinks he won Florida then he should have no problem with letting Gore have his rightful and legislatively-sanctioned recount. Problem is, Bush knows he didn't win Florida, is attempting to bully his way into the presidency using his brother's Floridian influence--and that's where we're at today!
Ultimately, the American people, once the story is fully told and understood, will hold little respect for Bush. He should have honorably conceded Florida once he realized Buchanon was admitting that Buchanon got too many Gore votes. He'd have instantly become an American hero respected by both parties and, with certainty, would have become a future United States president. But I guess the younger Bush lacks the "vision thing." |
