[Miss Marple]

Au contraire on your "not disputed" opinion. The democrats were convinced they had won (because of the cheating they had set up). They miscalculated on how many extra ballots they would need, due to underestimating Bush's popularity AND listening to the faux call for Florida to Gore before the polls closed.

Why you think this would have ended with everyone satisfied, I don't know. We had people trying to get electors to change their votes, right on national television!

I am certain that state delegations would have been badgered, threatened, and bribed to change votes. The media would have gone on record about how "unfair" this was (no matter how it is detailed in the Consititution) and we would have had democrats marching and perhaps rioting in the streets.

[Jim Noble]

Miss Marple, all that you have written is correct.

And I would not even DARE to suggest that the Gorons were acting in good faith.

But a dispute over Florida's electors arose, albeit through bad faith on the part of Gore and his minions. That's unfair, and bad for the country.

But Madison and Jefferson presumed bad faith in the conduct of public affairs on occasion - that's why they wrote the Constitution they did.

That's why the electoral votes are submitted, sealed, to the President of the Senate.

That's why they are opened in the presence of the People's and the States representatives, all in the same room.

That's why they count them together, and vote on controversies.

The Supreme Court deciding this case was bad politics and bad law.