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Posted on 11/24/2001 10:27:18 AM PST by JulieRNR21

KATHERINE HARRIS: Guest column
Harris: I set out to follow the law, not to be a 'hero'
posted 11/23/01

In his commentary published on Nov. 13, Tom Lyons purports to advise me on how I could have been a "hero" to him and his left-wing cohorts during the Election 2000 recount period.

Mr. Lyons misses one important point. I never set out to be a "hero" to anyone. I simply performed my duties in a manner faithful to the rule of law, to my oath of office and to the people of Florida.

It is telling that Mr. Lyons makes no reference to the law anywhere in his column. Perhaps Mr. Lyons does not wish to admit that I followed the letter and spirit of the law as it was written. Or, perhaps Mr. Lyons seeks to distract his readers from realizing that the decisions of the Al Gore campaign's political strategists prevented a fair statewide recount in Florida.

The Gore campaign's own attorney, Dexter Douglass, advised his client that its best approach under Florida law was to accept my certification of the election results and file a "contest" of the election in court. Mr. Douglass' advice was based upon the fact that Florida law did not permit the Gore campaign to file a "contest" until after my certification.

Had I extended the deadline for the completion of the chaotic, subjective recounts the Gore campaign cherry-picked in four heavily Democratic counties, I would have delayed my certification and effectively blocked the Gore campaign from pursuing the option which, according to the results of the media recount released last Sunday, provided former Vice President Gore with his best chance of reaching the White House.

Contrary to the impression of Mr. Lyons and many other members of the media, certification did not "cut off" all recounts. It operated merely as a procedural milepost, with no impact upon any person's right to pursue a manual recount.

Without question, had I granted the Gore campaign's shortsighted wish for extended recounts in the four counties it selected, Mr. Lyons would have criticized me for jeopardizing the Gore campaign's legal rights.

The Gore campaign apparently chose these selective manual recounts for political reasons.

The Gore campaign's political strategists wished to obtain an advantage in the vote count prior to certification, because they feared the American people would not tolerate a contest in court. This strategy, while based upon a legitimate but faulty political calculation, did not compel me to disregard the law.

In effect, Mr. Lyons offers political advice that suggests I should have made a decision that pleased Gore supporters at the time, even if it compromised the long-term legal interests of their candidate.

As a candidate for Congress, I welcome all the political advice I can get. In my role as secretary of state, however, politics had no place in the momentous, historic decisions we faced.

I understand that this election remains the source of intense feelings among supporters of both major candidates. While I had my own preference, I chose to follow the law as my only safe harbor in this historic political tempest, regardless of the consequences. This judgment has stood the test of time.

Katherine Harris is Florida's secretary of state and a Republican candidate for Congress in the 13th congressional district.

thanks for the ping! GO KATHERINE!!!!!

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