Re:

[Joanie]

Hi Linda J,



Nice to see you poasting again and Thank You for your participation here in the Funny Bone Room.



We all hope you'll be back soon with some more goodies.



Joanie



 

[Linda J]

FOUR YEARS LATER...



December 30, 2004 / Washington, D.C. (Associated Press)



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

Greenspan (formerly 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 or 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 countersued, 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. 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 Greenspan. She yesterday wished Bush well and asked if

she could start moving some boxes into the White House basement.