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Politics : Al Gore vs George Bush: the moderate's perspective -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mephisto who wrote (9303)	1/12/2001 9:10:14 PM
From: Mephisto	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10042

Clinton Says Meant No Offense to Bush By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Clinton said on Friday he was not questioning the legitimacy of President-elect George W. Bush's victory when he said Bush only won the election because Republicans stopped Florida's vote counting. In remarks to reporters at the White House and in a farewell interview with Reuters late on Thursday, Clinton said his comments were overblown and that he and his administration have worked hard to make Bush's transition to the White House a smooth one. ``I wasn't trying to be sarcastic or hateful or even make any kind of deliberate point,'' said Clinton, waving an unlit cigar as he sat relaxed in his office aboard Air Force One on a late-night flight to Washington after a farewell event in Boston. In Chicago on Tuesday night, Clinton appeared with Vice President Al Gore's campaign chairman Bill Daley and spoke to Democratic loyalists. ``They thought the election was over, the Republicans did. By the time it was over, our candidate had won the popular vote, and the only way they could win the election was to stop the voting in Florida,'' Clinton said. It was the most pointed comment Clinton had made about the election outcome and suggested it could be a chilly ride to the Capitol on Jan. 20 when the two men sit in the same limousine for Bush's swearing-in ceremony. In the interview, Clinton expressed continuing dissatisfaction with the U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 decision, with the conservative majority providing the margin of victory, to stop Florida recounts. The decision essentially gave the election to Bush. ``I just hated to see the court involved in this way when there were six days left to count the votes,'' he said. Talking to reporters on Friday in the White House Rose Garden, Clinton said ``we accept the decision of the Supreme Court'' because ``it is the way our system works.'' ``And it's not the first time or probably the last time the Supreme Court will make a decision with which I do not agree, but I did not call into question his (Bush's) legitimacy. I was having a good old-fashioned little bit of fun with Bill Daley and his brother and his friends and my friends in Chicago,'' he said. Clinton's remarks had prompted Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer to say there is a tradition ``of presidents leaving office with respect for their successors. I'm certain that President Clinton will want to follow that.'' Bush himself on Thursday dismissed the comment, saying Clinton ``can say what he wants.'' Clinton insisted he has not tried to politicize the election result but added: ``I don't think there's much dispute about the facts -- they didn't finish the vote counting.'' dailynews.yahoo.com