While Al Gore exerts his legal right to call for Florida recounts, while George W Bush exerts his legal right to declare himself victor, many thoughtful Americans have turned to the Constitution for comfort.We take for granted that our President is elected on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November. Actually, in mid-Decem- ber, electors from each state cast official ballots for President of the United States.At that time, not all electors are legally bound to vote according to the popular election results in their states. Considering that Gore may have won the national popular vote, some electors from some states won by Bush may choose to cast their ballots for Gore. Ultimately, if neither candidate wins a majority of the electoral college, an official Presidential election would be conducted by the House of Representatives. Since the House holds a Republican majority, Gore would unlikely be elected our 43rd President -- unless, of course, House Republicans split their votes.This is entirely possible, particularly since Bush ran an anti-Washington campaign. It is also possible that the House strikes a comprimise and elects someone else -- say, Arizona Senator John McCain -- as the next U.S. President. While Bush insists that Gore concede for the good of the country, our country's good might best be served if both candidates stopped campaigning and permitted the Constitutional process to proceed. In simple American terms: This election has gone into extra innings; the fat lady has not yet sung.
