11/08/00 4:25 p.m.
A Blueprint for President Bush
How to make the most of a tarnished victory.

By NR’s John J. Miller & Ramesh Ponnuru

he one thing everybody wanted last night — Democrats and Republicans alike — was an end. Yet the election drags on. The Florida recount continues. With accusations of ballot fraud in the air and the complexity of the electors and their college only beginning to manifest itself, this could go on for some time. Both sides are now despairing, but the losers, whoever they are, won't walk away depressed and demoralized — their standard fate. They will come away from this election irritated and energized. They will feel wronged. What lies ahead will recall the bitterness of the impeachment drama, but without the clear moral backdrop.

The most likely outcome now appears to be a popular victory for Vice President Gore and an electoral triumph for George W. Bush. Back in 1876, when Rutherford Hayes was in the Bush position, he was widely known as "His Fraudulency." Bush, if he indeed prevails, will have to move with energy to stem this toxic cynicism. He needs a respected figure like Colin Powell in his cabinet more than ever before. He will also need a few Democrats. This may require some bold thinking. How about Joe Lieberman for Secretary of Education? Lieberman probably wouldn't take it, but the gesture of offering it might go a long way. What about Bill Bradley? Might he be stuck in a cabinet post where he would do little damage but also legitimize the Bush administration? Might Daniel Patrick Moynihan take a job as "Social Security Reform Czar"?

Retiring Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska would have been an outstanding pick for several posts — except that his inexplicable nastiness in the final days of the campaign now make his nomination to anything impossible. Senator John Breaux of Louisiana could find his way onto a Bush wish list. Senator Bob Graham would be an intriguing choice, if only because he's from Florida. Another attractive figure — though less well known — is Rep. Silvestre Reyes, a conservative Hispanic Democrat from El Paso.

The most important test of Bush's presidency — how to handle the next 11 weeks — may come before he's even inaugurated.

The Ashcroft Model
So Missouri has elected a dead man to the Senate. The irony is, John Ashcroft probably would have won that race if Mel Carnahan hadn't died in an airplane crash. This afternoon, in conceding the election to Carnahan's widow, Ashcroft was a model of decorum in saying he would abide no legal challenge to the disappointing outcome. Yes, there may be a hair-splitting legal question about whether a corpse can truly "inhabit" the state electing him. And there appears to have been some funny business at precincts in St. Louis. But Missouri understood its choice, and vote fraud is almost impossible to prove. In accepting his fate so gracefully, Ashcroft showed why he is so highly regarded.

He also sets the standard for how Al Gore should behave in the days ahead.

The Gore Files
Famous for his reversals on abortion, gays, and guns, Gore is now hoping for the mother of all flip flops.