Not a wise move

You know, fuck this bullshit. Kerry is making a HUGE mistake by pushing this, especially the way he's doing it. Sending his lapdog Edwards out to pump his fist in the air in lawyerly defiance? They're fucking the Democratic party for decades. Don't they realize that Americans have overwhelmingly chosen Bush, his agenda, his foreign policy, despite all his negatives and all the scandals and their serious doubts about his skills and adaptability because they simply don't like Kerry or trust he'll do better. Challenging this election, where the popular vote is almost 4,000,000 apart, during which the Republicans added to their dominance in both House and Senate, excerbates the annoyance middle and southern America has with East Coast elites.

Of course, until the margin is a bit bigger, he's obligated to ensure these votes are counted, particularly given the fact Bush can't get 270 otherwise. So why couldn't Kerry himself come out and say "I don't want to delay this any longer than I have to. I'd like to congratulate my opponents for their great success this evening, but I must follow the words of the Secretary of State of the great state of Ohio, and suggest we wait until all provisional votes have been counted. We think the margin is too close to concede at this time. I pledge to abide by the decision of the election boards in Ohio, and will not litigate further if Ohio goes to President Bush and through a combination with another state or states he wins 270 electoral votes." Why does Edwards come out barking and brusque instead?

At any rate, Bush has won as of right now, even though CNN never called it, and all the networks (as of 2:57am) are now featuring talking heads are arguing over how John Kerry probably should be allowed to count. Even Fox is saying so, or at least saying they understand his reasons. Initially, when word first came that Kerry wasn't conceding after ABC/NBC called Ohio for Bush, Chris Matthews suggested that Kerry was not a "gentleman." Pat Buchanan challenged him--"Why should Kerry concede? Bush doesn't have 270 yet, and can't get there without Ohio."

How can this happen twice? I'm going to be up all night and still won't know the answer. I just want to see Nevada and NM and Iowa.