> The Republicans are picking up a mess in the process. They will of course take the blame for this in the history books, <
As an American I agree, they will.
As one who did not vote for Bush, I also agree.
As soon as the requests for recounts were made, Bush began his assault. Not only, imo, does that show fear that his tiny lead would disappear but it shows his effort to win at any cost to the election process itself. All the spin in the world will not change the fact that Gore simply wanted a recount to see if he won - or not - and Bush did all he could to thwart the process from persevering. Take away all the layers of spin, rancor, partisanship, etc. and that is it in a nutshell.
Here's some interesting hindsight:
dailynews.yahoo.com
Saturday November 11 10:25 AM ET
Bush Campaign Seeks Injunction
By DAVID ESPO, AP Political Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - George W. Bush (news - web sites)'s campaign has decided to seek an injunction to stop manual vote recounts in Florida, a Republican official said Saturday, throwing the matter of the next presidency to the courts.
Former Secretary of State James A. Baker, respresenting[sic] the Texas governor's interests in Florida, scheduled a news conference in Tallahassee, Fla., to announce the decision on a day hand counts were planned in two counties where Democrats have challenged ballots.
The presidency hangs in the balance, Florida's vote - impossibly close and fiercely contested - is virtually certain to tip the scales.
Bush's team believes that the hand-counting process is open to mischief and mistakes if Democratic election officials in heavily Democratic precincts recount the vote, according to the senior Republican official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Al Gore (news - web sites)'s campaign has expressed determination to see the recounting through, and Democrats are considering their own legal challenges.
``We don't see any reason why people's votes should not be counted, this is part of ensuring a full, fair and accurate count of the vote,'' said Doug Hattaway, a spokesman for the Gore campaign. He said local officials in Florida decided the hand count was the best way to ensure an accurate count.
After a long day of charges and countercharges about the design of the ballot and discounted ballots in Palm Beach County, William Daley, Gore's campaign chairman, said on Friday that the recount ``wouldn't matter if the presidency didn't depend on Florida.'' [duh!]
With feelings running high, hundreds of Floridians who complain that their votes may not have been counted Election Day gathered Saturday to tell their stories at a public hearing organized by the NAACP in Miami.
The outcome does depend on Florida.
An unofficial tally by The Associated Press of the recount in Florida's 67 counties showed the Texas governor with a 327-vote lead over the vice president in the state whose 25 electoral votes will determine the next president. State officials said their recount showed Bush leading by 960 votes with 66 counties reporting.
With a handful of counties ready to recount at least some ballots by hand, as requested by the Democrats, Bush gave Baker authority Friday night to seek a court order barring the action. Baker, the former secretary of state, is protecting Bush's interest in the Florida case.
At the same time, though, the Bush campaign asked for another machine recount in Palm Beach County.
In any event, no final results are expected for several days, in part because the state has yet to tally the unknown number of ballots cast by Floridians living overseas, ballots that both sides contend will favor their man.
Not counting the Sunshine State, Bush had won 29 states for 246 electoral votes. Gore, who added Oregon to his column on Friday, had won 19 states plus the District of Columbia for 262, with 270 needed for victory. New Mexico remained too close to call, but its five electoral votes would not be decisive.
In his weekly radio address Saturday, President Clinton (news - web sites) cautioned patience as the recount proceeds in Florida.
``The people have spoken,'' he said. ``The important thing for all of us to remember now is that a process for resolving the discrepancies and challenges to the election is in motion. The rest of us need to be patient and wait for the results.''
At the request of Democrats, a few Florida counties agreed to check at least some ballots by hand.
In Volusia County, officials said they would begin checking ballots Saturday that already have been counted twice by hand. They planned to work 14-hour days counting and expected to be finished by Tuesday.
In Palm Beach County, elections officials agreed to recount ballots in three precincts by hand. A decision will be made about the rest of the county pending the outcome.
In Broward County, officials also agreed to do a hand-recount of three precincts Monday afternoon. If there are significant problems found, they also will consider a full hand-recount of all precincts. Officials said there are 6,686 ballots not counted because the computer did not recognize any selection in the presidential race. In some cases, Democratic Party (news - web sites) officials say, voters may have selected a candidate without dislodging a tiny paper rectangle called chad. Chad can block holes and make the choice unreadable by tabulation machines that count votes by flashing light through ballot holes.
In Miami's Dade County, elections officials will meet Tuesday to discuss a hand recount.
``This is not about sore losers,'' Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman (news - web sites) said Friday, as he urged patience on all sides. ``This is about the fundamental principles of our democracy.''
The Bush campaign saw it otherwise.
While acknowledging that overseas votes mailed to Florida remain to be counted, Bush aides and supporters suggested that Gore concede the state and the White House if the initial recount and next week's certification show Bush ahead. ``We certainly hope that in the best interest of the country the vice president will think carefully about his talk of lawsuits and endless recounts,'' said Bush's spokeswoman, Karen Hughes. [Yet the Bush side filed the first lawsuit. This statement from the Bush side is disingenuous, at best.]
Some Democrats seemed uneasy about the prospect of the election ending up in the courts.
``I'd advise we exhaust all other remedies before we attempt any consideration of a court challenge,'' said Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D.
Republicans went considerably further than that.
``Anything that involves a recount is absolutely in order and must take place,'' said Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del., ''(but) this business of lawsuits or re-voting is completely off the mark, and could seriously undermine credibility and would be a problem.''
Bush spoke briefly with reporters on Friday, taking a break from a meeting in the Texas governor's mansion with running mate Dick Cheney (news - web sites) and aides who would hold powerful posts in a new Republican administration.
``The quicker this gets resolved the better off it is for the nation,'' Bush said. [Then why his numerous, numerous lawsuits to stop or slow each and every step? See him for what he says or see him for what he does?]
Acknowledging that some votes remain to be counted, he said he was planning ``in a responsible way, a potential administration.''
Still, noting once again that there are ``still votes to be counted,'' he added it was ``a little early'' to be contacting the outgoing Clinton administration.
If Bush prevails and history looks back on it, will Bush be the President who won by suppression? |
