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A Letter from the
future
December 30, 2004
WASHINGTON -- After four years of legal
wrangling, George W. Bush was finally declared the winner of
the 2000 presidential election yesterday.
Bush, a Republican, will take the oath of
office at noon today and serves until Jan. 20, 2005, a term of about
three weeks. Then he gives way to the winner of the 2004
presidential election, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Facing a drastically shortened presidency,
Bush attempted to strike an optimistic tone last night.
"We have a lot to accomplish in the next
three weeks," Bush said. "Reforming Social Security alone
is probably going to eat up four-five hours. Let's get to
work!"
Aides yesterday were calling temporary
employment agencies in a frantic effort to fill Cabinet posts.
Bush's victory ends a four-year court battle
between him and Democratic candidate Al Gore over the results of the
2000 election.
While the dispute raged on, the nation
installed an interim president: New York Yankees Manager Joe Torre.
Torre admitted that running a country and a
baseball team simultaneously has been a strain.
"At times, it's been difficult to keep
the two things straight. Although, in retrospect, trading Jesse
Helms to the Red Sox turned out OK."
Torre's four years in office were marked by
continued prosperity at home and relative calm abroad.
His most controversial move was appointing
Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer to the Supreme Court. Critics charged
that Zimmer lacked experience. He also spit tobacco juice on Antonin
Scalia's shoes, angering conservatives.
Torre's boldest foreign policy initiative was
making Cuba the 51st state in an effort to improve U.S. pitching.
Torre was planning to vacate the White House
by midnight tonight, with Bush moving in immediately. Eager to give
an aura of permanency to his three-week administration, Bush
rebuffed suggestions that he sleep on a bare mattress on the floor
and live out of suitcases.
Gore, meanwhile, has yet to concede defeat.
The former vice president issued a statement
today saying, "It would be improper and disrespectful to the
democratic process to act hastily before all the facts are
known."
The legal tangle over the 2000 election began
with a Gore lawsuit over the confusing design of ballots in Florida.
When the courts sided with Gore, Bush filed
suit, arguing that the Oregon results were invalid because some
ballots were yellow and others pink.
Gore counter sued, charging that the West
Virginia results should be thrown out because some people failed to
receive "I Voted Today" stickers.
Through the years, various officials proposed
compromises to resolve the impasse. All were rejected, including:
- Establishing a co-presidency, with the two
men sharing duties and splitting the White House. Although never
implemented, the idea gave rise to a hit TV show, East Wing,
West Wing.
- Establishing temporarily separate nations,
with each candidate ruling the states he won in the 2000
election. Gore, who failed to carry his native Tennessee, balked
at the idea because it would mean showing a passport every time
he went home.
- Letting Jimmy Carter sort it all out.
Observers said the biggest challenge for the
Bush administration will be working with Congress, which adjourns
tomorrow and isn't expected back until after Bush's term ends.
"One day may not be quite enough time to
overhaul the tax system," a Bush aide admitted. "But maybe
we can get started and then finish it later with a big conference
call or something."
Meanwhile, Bush also must work on his
legacy and prepare to transfer power to President-elect Clinton.
Clinton yesterday wished Bush well and asked if she could start
moving some boxes into the White House basement.
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