Fond of Lands' End tailoring, knit ties and cheap watches, Boies quickly returns in a gray tweed wool jacket, which, for the rest of the day, he pulls over his head to stay dry, as if an umbrella might slow him down. He feels the same way about briefcases and legal pads. As best I can tell, through 13 TV appearances, several meetings and one press conference, everything comes from memory. He never takes a note or refers to one. When his counterpart, James Baker, appears in the briefing room they share, the former Secretary of State brings aides, files and a bank of supplementary flags to solemnify his surroundings.
Boies just shows up.
Before representing Gore, Boies had met the Vice President only once, back in 1988 at the Manhattan apartment of First Amendment lawyer Victor Kovner. More a vague Democrat than a fierce one, he rarely mentions George W. Bush in his statements, although he tells me he would never have represented the Texas Governor. I don't know about Gore as a campaigner, but here he has been reflective, thoughtful and searching for the right thing to do. I was surprised when he announced Tuesday night he was giving up any thought of changing an elector's vote. If this were simply up to me as a lawyer, I wouldn't give up anything.