He deserves credit for his attempt to resolve the electoral process. But everyone should recognize that the vice president stood to gain from either the limited or statewide ballot recount he proposed. There was no guarantee he would gain enough votes to win, but clearly he believed he had an edge or he would not have made the offer. Mr. Gore's suggestion that he is pursuing legal challenges on behalf of the voters, not himself, rings hollow. He wants to win.
Straight talk is in order.
Gov. Bush's response was as graceless as it was self-serving. His operative, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, already had rejected requests from the counties seeking to amend the vote tallies they reported Tuesday afternoon. Ms. Harris was co-chairwoman of Gov. Bush's Florida campaign and her decision Wednesday night was laden with arbitrary partisanship. She rejected the new vote counts even though a Florida court had indicated she had the discretion to accept them. Her decision will haunt Gov. Bush if he is ultimately declared president.