That would throw the election into the House of Representatives for the first time since 1876. But it shows how far the Republicans are willing to go to put Bush in the White House. Bush would have already lost in Florida if Palm Beach County voters confused by a complicated ballot hadn't mistakenly voted for Pat Buchanan instead of Gore. And state troopers who answer to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush harassed and intimidated African Americans headed to the polls. Either way, the haggling has exposed the ugly way U.S. politics really works.
Political shenanigans are as American as apple pie.
It's little wonder that the postelection crisis has drawn far more interest than the campaign that came before it. The Washington establishment and their big business backers handpicked Bush and Gore in the first place. Now those same people will narrow the choice from two to one. And since Corporate America has poured tens of millions of dollars into both campaigns, business will have its way anyhow. But the longer the crisis drags on, the more it exposes the sham at the center of U.S. politics.