Cliff Stearns: “even before Vice President Gore conceded the Presidential election, the Democrats talked about counting all of the…”

“even before Vice President Gore conceded the Presidential election, the Democrats talked about counting all of the ballots to see who really won. Well, that task has been accomplished. The Miami Herald, Knight Ridder and USA Today conducted a comprehensive review of more than 64,000 ballots in all 67 Florida counties. What did this review find? Bush's margin of 537 votes would have increased to 1,665 if all the ballots were counted. This number was reached using the standard of counting every dimple, pinprick or hanging chad as a valid vote. Under different scenarios, counting chads with two corners detached, or counting dimples for the Presidential election, the verdict was the same: Governor Bush still would have won. This election was decided conclusively last year. For those who could not accept this fact, there was this fantasy, ``What if all the votes had been counted?'' The answer remains the same: President George W. Bush.”