NYC Letter: Crybabies' Last Boo Hoo

Boo HOO hoo hoo.

CONGRESS CERTIFIES BUSH'S WIN AFTER PROTEST

The U.S. Congress on Thursday formally certified President Bush as the victor of the November elections after two Democrats symbolically stalled the event in protest at alleged voting irregularities in Ohio.

California Sen. Barbara Boxer and Ohio Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, formally lodged objections because of Ohio, although they said they recognized Bush had won and were not trying to overturn the results.

There is no challenge to the outcome. And the ceritfication itself is not being challenged. Yet an objection is lodged alleging voting irregularites during the certification session when Mss. Boxer and Jones' complaint is clearly with Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell. But that would only be Ohio headlines.

The rare objection to vote certification, the first filed in decades, forced the House and Senate to halt their joint session, usually a routine and ceremonial affair. Each chamber then debated the objection, and rejected it, the Senate by a 74-1 vote, the House 267-31. The state-by-state certification was completed a few hours later.

But one of Ohio's senators, Republican Mike DeWine, called the complaints "wild, incoherent and completely unsubstantiated." Several lawmakers in both chambers noted that Ohio votes had been recounted and the results certified by bipartisan local election boards.

In the much more rancorous aftermath of the 2000 race between then-Texas Gov. Bush and Vice President Al Gore, which was decided in the Supreme Court, no senators stepped up to lodge an objection. Boxer said she had refrained from objecting then at Gore's request, but had since come to regret her silence.

Let's have a look at that recount:

OHIO RECOUNT ENDS, SHOWS VOTE CLOSER

The recount shows Bush winning Ohio by 118,457 votes over John Kerry, according to unofficial results provided Tuesday to The Associated Press by the 88 counties. Lucas County, home to Toledo, was the last to finish counting.

The state had earlier declared Bush the winner by 118,775 votes and plans to adjust its totals to reflect the recount later this week.

ABC's headline suggests more than its story can report. The vote is closer by 285 votes or .24%, not quite a quarter of a single percentage point of differential. The 285 votes become statistically infinitesimal against the 5.4 million Ohio votes cast. We are stalwart advocates for every vote being counted, but in no significant way did the recount make the Ohio vote closer.

The Left has hit on a new post-election feel-better strategy-in-defeat. Demand recounts till enough votes are found to win or your opponent drops dead. They actually seem to have manufactured a win in Washington state. Close races are common. Expect the Left to bring court challenges to any election where the opposition wins by less than a Saddam-like (100%+) margin. Even a Castro-like (96%) margin will earn a look.

Of course, Florida has become the challenge model. It will be recalled that in Florida, the standard wasn't that every vote be counted, but that every voter intention be counted. So swamis were called in to discern the intentional mysteries of the hanging, dimpled, and pregnant chads. People came forward and -- after a little prompting from a DNC lawyer provided for their constitutional protection -- announced themselves too stupid to have voted correctly. This was the stupid vote challenge. Of course how to discern these stupid votes from other anonymous cast ballots was anyone's guess.

There is nothing in the United States Constitution that protects the intention of a voter over the fair vote cast. And certainly nothiing that protects the voter's willful stupidity. If a voter negligently or incorrectly or ignorantly casts his vote, tough nuggies. It is the voter's responsibility to exercise discernment when voting.

We don't believe the Lefties are much concerned that every vote be counted, but we do believe they are very serious that every Leftie vote be counted. And severally, if possible. That is, without being caught.