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ACADEMIC QUESTIONS
Recount recall

BY SETH GITELL

William Kristol, the editor of the conservative Weekly Standard, sits in the Inn at Harvard’s Atrium Restaurant and explains that the post-election recount fight represented “the rule of law versus the will of the people.” Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. leans back on a nearby couch and takes issue with Kristol: “People on the Gore side would say the rule of law was distorted by the Florida secretary of state [Katherine Harris].”

The debate recalls many hard-fought discussions during and following the recount battle. What is unique about the Kristol-Dionne dialogue is that it comes as the two Washington mavens are out promoting a new book about the messy five-week aftermath of the 2000 presidential election, Bush v. Gore: The Court Cases and the Commentary (Brookings Institution). The book is a collection of the leading court cases and opinion articles on the post-election fight. Shortly after the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to conclude the election in favor of Bush, Dionne came up with the idea for the election anthology. He quickly realized he, as lone editor, would lose half the audience for such a book and called on Kristol, with whom he had appeared on TV talk shows such as NBC’s Meet the Press, to edit the Republican arguments.

With their division of labor clear, the two got along fine — despite ideological differences. “We had no disagreements,” says Dionne. “We agreed to disagree.”

Interest in the Florida fracas remains high, say the duo, who appeared on WRKO radio’s Howie Carr Show March 13. The book is already seventh on the Washington Post bestseller list and is into its second printing. As for recount-fiasco personalities, Kristol reports that Florida’s Harris is considered a potential congressional candidate in her home district. That would mean that Harris could join Senator Hillary Clinton, Democrat of New York, among the controversial figures in Washington these days.

One thing Dionne and Kristol agree on is that the quality of the debate during the recount was higher than it was during other recent battles, such as Clinton’s impeachment. “Even though there were some personal attacks, the arguments tended to be much more about the issues,” says Dionne.

Other than that, don’t look for much agreement between the book’s editors. “I have not changed my mind [that Gore should have won],” says Dionne. “I’m more convinced than ever it should never have been in court in the first place,” says Kristol.

For a look at the speeches and legal documents, visit the book’s companion site at www.brookings.edu/bushvgore.

Issue Date: March 15 - 22, 2001