-Caveat Lector- http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/27/opinion/27MON1.html EDITORIAL November 27, 2000 Certified but Incomplete By hailing the certification of Florida's ballots as the last word on the presidential election and naming a transition director and chief of staff, Gov. George W. Bush reached boldly for the mantle of president-elect. Unfortunately, he is also trying to leapfrog the nation past the important pending legal challenges to that state's incompletely counted vote. In light of the events since Nov. 7, the last word ought to be delivered by the courts that will hear Vice President Al Gore's contests of the results and, more important, by a United States Supreme Court that is hearing arguments about the election at Mr. Bush's request. Both the Florida courts and the United States Supreme Court can finish their work in a little over a week. They can give Americans of both parties a higher level of confidence in the ballot count. That, in turn, would allow either Mr. Bush or Mr. Gore to take office on a sounder basis. Both candidates should be looking to the broader issue of legitimacy instead of grasping for short-term advantage. It was, of course, no surprise that Florida's secretary of state, Katherine Harris, an eager partisan who worked for the Bush campaign, would quickly certify a result that showed Mr. Bush in the lead. But it was disappointing to see the Texas Governor embrace that disputed certification and call upon Mr. Gore to drop his plan to contest the Florida results. The courts need to look at this count and tell the nation whether it represents the official end point of the election. Once the courts have spoken, the time for argument will be over. We do not think Mr. Gore has a license to litigate into the sunset. The public mood and that of Democrats in Congress dictate that the legal challenges already announced or under way probably represent the limit of the available challenges. Indeed, Mr. Gore may face a struggle to persuade the public and the Democrats in Congress to be patient for a few more days. But it is clear on the known statistics that the 537-vote margin for Mr. Bush excludes Gore votes already known to exist in Palm Beach and Miami- Dade Counties. In a speech today, Mr. Gore can be expected to push his argument that there are thousands of additional ballots that have never been fairly counted for the first time. If Ms. Harris and the other members of the Florida Election Canvassing Commission are allowed to close the books without such questions being resolved, a needless shadow will hover over the Florida totals. The Supreme Court's entry into the case essentially gives everyone involved a chance to step back from the noisy and sometimes alarming confrontations of recent weeks. In the interim, the Florida courts have ample reason to order the completion of the counts in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade Counties and to review the standards by which the canvassing boards judged dimpled ballots. Since Florida's electors need not be selected until Dec. 12, there is time for these contests of the election to be completed in a fair fashion. This is clearly not the time for Florida's restive, Republican-led Legislature to meddle with the election. The surest way to erode public trust is for the Florida Legislature and Florida's Republican governor, Jeb Bush, to try to override the decisions of the Florida courts. The United States Supreme Court can do its part to conclude this national drama on an authoritative note by allowing television coverage of the arguments before the court on Friday. The justices have a longstanding aversion to television, but they should make an exception for this case because of the need to clear up the disputed count certified in Florida last night. k================================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: *Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends ================================================================= <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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