All eyes were focused on the Florida Supreme Court.
| All eyes were focused on the Florida Supreme Court. |
Like the Energizer Bunny, the contest between Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush just keeps going and going. Last Friday afternoon, Florida's Supreme Court ruled that some 180,000 ballots that did not show a vote for President when counted by machine should be recounted by hand, starting at once. The court also added 383 votes from previous recounts to Gore's total, cutting Bush's lead to 154.
The ruling breathed new life into Gore's bid for the White House. "Two strikes, two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and Gore gets a hit," said Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois.
Earlier in the day, two Florida judges dealt a blow to Gore's quest. The judges ruled that despite "irregularities," thousands of Republican absentee votes should remain part of the final count. But those rulings were overshadowed by the top court's decision.
Bush's lawyers have appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.