>>I thought of an analogy this morning. Think of the election as a sporting event. It was tied at the end of regulation. The rules call for a full period of overtime. The Bush people want it to be sudden death, and now that they've scored say the game should be over. What do you think?
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>>Tamar
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>This is more accurate - at the end of regulation, Team R is leading Team D by a few points. Team D thinks there were some bad calls. Even after a review of the calls though, the score tightens, but the outcome stands. So despite the fact that they have lost in regulation by all the rules that were in place when the game started, Team D DEMANDS to change the rules and have an overtime period with the following rules:
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>1 - Only team D is allowed to have the ball
>2 - It is sudden death if Team D scores and pulls ahead, but a "full period of overtime" if Team R scores or prevents Team D from scoring.
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>Now - the referees - who all happen to part-owners of Team-D, decide to change the rules and allow the overtime even though they really can't do that, but hey - they are on the field. But - even after the "overtime" - team R still leads. Well - now Team D says that we need another overtime. This time the rules Team D wants are:
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>1 - Only Team D gets the ball, and they always get it placed inside the ten yard line - with an unlimited number of downs.
>2 - They get to ask the referees to remove points that Team R has scored.
>3 - They get to count a score if the runner kind of comes close to the goal line or if they determine that he intended to score.
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>yeah - this is about the way I see it ....

No, Tamar's analogy is much closer.

Dems had the legal right to ask for a manual recount. They also have the legal right to contest the certification. It is called due process. The Republicans wanted to cut the process short because they were ahead and there was no benefit to them to have the votes being recounted. Of course, there was no guarantee that Gore would pick up enough votes in the recount but why take that chance, especially since the recounts were being done in strongly Democratic counties.

The Dems are doing everything to squeak out more votes for them (not necessarily manufacture votes but looking in only certain places). The Repubs are doing everything possible to stop the process before it has run its course...and are definitly not interested in whether they got more votes or not. Only that they have more votes right now.

And anyone who continues to repeat that inane Baker phrase: "there was a count, there was a recount of the count, there was a recount of the recount..." should be taken behind the woodshed.