Mullings A Political Cyber Column By Rich Galen

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Monday, Monday;
Sometimes It Just Turns Out That Way

Wednesday, December 6, 2000

Vice President Al Gore had a bad day, Monday. The U.S. Supreme Court - at a minimum - rapped the knuckles of the very bunch, the Florida Supreme Court, which is his absolutely, positively, no-kidding-around, we-mean-it-this-time, take-it-to-the-bank last hope. And a county judge ruled that Gore's high-priced legal team had "failed to carry the requisite burden of proof " in its case contesting the results of the election.

David Boies had a bad day, Monday, too.

If Gore mega-lawyer David Boies gets $625 an hour, how much is he charging for being in Florida for the past four weeks? Is there a special monthly rate? Like at the Residence Inn?

Or is the Boies bill now up to something approaching $420,000? Plus expenses. Which would make his Monday somewhat more endurable.

Changing planes in Pittsburgh I walked into a bookstore. "The judge just ruled against Gore," the man behind the counter said, without preamble. "On all counts?" I asked. "That's what my wife said when she just called," he answered. "And she hasn't had the television off since election day."

I got on my cell phone to find out what had happened. A big time Washington lawyer told me, "The only thing Judge Sauls didn't do was make Al Gore stand in front of him so he could have stuck a finger in his eye in person."

Judge N. Sanders Sauls, remember, is a Democrat. In fact, it seems like every circuit court judge in the entire state of Florida is a Democrat. Is that a state law?

Just in case you didn't think Your Nation's Capital is taking this Presidential election thing seriously, here were the headlines from the front page of the Washington Post regarding Monday's events.
- Gore Is Turned Down on Recount; Appeals to Florida Supreme
Court
- US Supreme Court: Justices Return Case to Fla.
- Analysis: Hopes Dim for Gore to Prevail
- Florida Courts; State Justices: Last Word?
- Redskins Change Coaches, Hoping to Still Make Playoffs

The shocking thing about the Redskins headline, about the Redskins firing their head coach with three games left in the season, was that it was placed BELOW the fold.

Norv Turner had a bad day, Monday.

Upon further review, Al Gore needs exactly what Norv Turner needed: Someone who can kick a long, long field goal as the clock runs out.

At the airport to pick up The Lad after he was released from Florida duty, I watched Joe Lieberman, surrounded by Secret Service Agents, walk to a plane. Not a chartered jet, anymore. They went through the door marked: Boston Shuttle. Not even a first class cabin.

Lieberman's day wasn't so hot, either.

After ten days of Al Gore and Joe Lieberman appearing on everything but the Western Channel, the major polls are remarkably in synch with each other.
- An MSNBC poll: "Asked whether Gore should concede or not,
59 percent of the 509 adults surveyed Monday night
said he should - 10 percentage points higher than a
similar question put to Americans just a week earlier."
- ABC/Washington Post: "More than half, 57 percent, say Gore
should concede - about the same level a week ago.
- NBC: "Gore should concede, 59 percent; Gore should not concede
yet, 38 percent - People were about evenly split on this
question in an NBC poll a week ago"
- Gallup: "As of today (through Monday night), do you think Al
Gore should concede the election, or should he not
concede? - Concede, 58 percent

Sharp eyed readers e-mailed to tell me I had the wrong name of the judge who first ruled that Secretary of State Katherine Harris was within her powers to disallow late tallies. I called him Judge Terry Clark, mixing his last name up with that of Judge Nikki Clark. His name, of course, is Terry Lewis. Who else but me would confuse Lewis & Clark? At least I didn't mix him up with Jerry.

You think they were confused before? This is true: According to the Miami Herald, the phone company (is there still such a thing as THE phone company?) is going to add a new area code to Broward County. The existing area code: 9-5-4, will be supplemented with a new area code: 7-5-4.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahaha.
-- END --

Copyright © 2000 Richard A. Galen

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