Sour grapes, mmmmmmm…

The presidential vote for George W. Bush does not compute

“Crucial flaws in the national vote count, most importantly in Ohio, New Mexico and Florida, indicate John Kerry was most likely the actual winner on November 2, as reported in national exit polls. At very least, the widespread tampering with how the election was conducted, and how Ohio's votes were counted and re-counted, has compromised this nation's historic commitment to free and fair elections.”

“These flaws involve very large numbers of votes. But they cannot fully explain how the results were recorded on Election Day for one crucial reason: the paper and digital record trail needed to analyze the actual voting has been sealed from public scrutiny by Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State, Kenneth Blackwell, who both administered the state's election and served as the co-chair of Ohio's 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign.

Blackwell and other Republican officials continue to discount such criticisms. Blackwell has written that the election ran "smoothly." His office has refused subpoenas requesting him to testify, terming them a form of "harassment." Ohio Republican Party Chairman Robert Bennett has said that this year's election had "fewer glitches" than previous ones. ‘We have bipartisan (election) boards and very specific rules and procedures,’ he says. ‘To have fraud within the counting process in Ohio, you would have to have massive collusion.’ “

The fact that the ‘counting process’ was bi-partisan does not mean we should forget about the other issues identified.

Besides, having somebody keep an eye on out doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t pull a swifty. Just have to be prepared and try harder. Nobody said that GOP operatives are stupid, just crooks.

That’s right, crooks.

Generally, judging by the nature of the 10 reasons identified in the article (come on, go read), the approach seemed to be: do a little, in a lotta places.

Like skimming from bank accounts, stay under the radar and stay out of prison.

No wonder Blackwell (Republican) is sooking about calls for closer scrutiny.

Irony update: Meanwhile, following a hand re-count (gotta love 'analog'!), the Dems scored a result.

The machines had previously given the vote win to the Republicans;

“Democrats, who hold a majority in the state House and Senate, stood firmly behind Gov.-elect Christine Gregoire, who beat Republican Dino Rossi by 129 votes after a hand recount of 2.9 million ballots cast. Rossi, who won the first count and a machine recount, has not conceded and may contest the election in court.”

Gobble up them grapes, you f*ckin’ crooks!