Word: counted
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Dates: during 2000-2000
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...Count by Hand or Not Count by Hand? That is the Question...
...Next, the offer: "First, we should complete hand counts already begun in Palm Beach County, Dade County and Broward County to determine the true intentions of the voters based on an objective evaluation of their ballots." (Gore misstatement alert: Palm Beach County has not yet begun to count, and Dade County has actually decided not to. Broward, of course, had also decided not to but was forced to reconsider by the Democrats.) The results of those recounts would be added to final tally - and Gore drops all his lawsuits and both sides abide by the result...
...then Gore hit his silent rival with the statesmanship sucker punch. "Now, second, I propose that Governor Bush and I meet personally, one-on-one, as soon as possible, before the vote count is finished, not to negotiate, but to improve the tone of our dialogue in America." Not only before the outcome, but afterward too, wherever Bush wants, so that the pair can "unite the country behind the winner as soon as this process is completed." Get it? Unite, not divide? Fade out: They walk arm in arm into the sunset...
...advantage of Gore's plan is its apparent simplicity and fairness. The disadvantage is... seven - count'em, seven - more days. Gore has obviously now given up on challenging the butterfly ballots. That is his peace offering to George W. And because of the way the courts are looking, this may be as good a deal as Bush is gonna get, and if Gore loses it and walks away, he could leave town a political saint - or a political martyr...
...rejected by the courts works pretty well for the Bush p.r. effort. Bush surrogate-in-chief James Baker emerged at 4:20 Wednesday afternoon to take back the "speedy end to all this" mantle from the Democrats, and made the rather logical argument that if Democrats wanted to hand-count those ballots so badly - in selected Democratic-leaning counties, mind you - why haven't they started yet? The Bushies tried to stop them once in federal court, and lost. They tried to stop them in the state Supreme Court, and lost. Volusia County briskly hand-counted all its votes before...