It was Saturday Dec. 9, and Miami-Dade's recount was clicking. But then the U.S. Supreme Court issued a shut-down. To stop him, George W. Bush needed delay. In the end, though the historic legal fight moved apace, it didn't travel swiftly enough for the vice president. They certainly did run the clock out, but at the same time, you would expect them to have done so.'' In and out of court, Democratic lawyers said their Republican counterparts plotted a plan to stall the recounting of ballots from South Florida, rich in support for Al Gore and Joseph Lieberman.
Republican insiders have a different take.
They made numerous objections, yes. But not as a stalling tactic, they say, as much as a well-grounded legal fight against a Democratic dash to count ballots that were tenuous, with standards that were uneven. Miguel De Grandy, another Miami-Dade Republican lawyer, said the case was won on merits, not tactics. De Grandy said. Spencer said the legal opinions spun out at stunning speed, considering the issues at stake and the lawsuits filed.