He ascended to the board only Wednesday, when Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, George W. Bush's younger brother, recused himself from the body to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest. In the midst of Monday's rapid-fire developments, Bush netted 100 more votes over Gore after Polk County election officials certified a new ballot count. The new tally brings his total lead in the state to 388 votes, according to the Associated Press unofficial tally of all 67 Florida counties. A cadre of lawyers for both campaigns worked the case in Middlebrooks' courtroom through the early part of the day. CNN legal analyst Greta Van Susteren, seated in the courtroom, reported the Bush team consisted of some seven lawyers, while more than a dozen were on site to argue Gore's point.
Machines break, some are slower than others.
Machines chew up some ballots, punch holes in them. That doesn't mean my clients will be satisfied with the count. If the count excludes the votes of some whose will is clearly reflected in the ballot, we will pursue our options in the state court. CNN Correspondents Mike Boettcher, Jonathan Karl, Jeanne Meserve, John Zarrella, Greta Van Susteren, Brian Cabell and The Associated Press contributed to this report. All Rights Reserved.