The mandate discussion constantly misses the point.
A mandate has NOTHING to do with margin of victory (is 3 points a mandate?... 5 points?) but rather with whether the candidtate asked for a mandate during the campaign.
Reagan campaigned on a platform of lower taxes, less regulations and strong defense. He did not ask us to vote for him because "I'm not Jimmy Carter".
George H.W. Bush ran on a platform to continue the Reagan Revolution (Reagan was the only President since Roosevelt to win a third term). He governed contrary to his mandate and was defeated four years later.
George W. Bush ran against Albert Gore on a platform of (you guessed it) lower taxes and regulations and a strong defense. And he won by a sliver. It was still a mandate.
Now, on the virtually the same platform, G.W wins by nearly 4 million popular votes, a growing electoral majority and increased margins in the Senate and the House.
Is it a mandate? I'm not dumb enough to even consider the question.
Apparently Specter doesn't get it!