Senator: Gore May Be Seeking Vice-Presidency Under Bush

Christopher Ruddy - Newsmax.com
Monday, Dec. 4, 2000

Congress is abuzz with a story that may have seemed fanciful a month ago, or even a week ago – but as Al Gore continues to battle for the Oval Office – Congressional Republicans fear it may be true.

There is a growing fear among Republican leaders and the Bush camp that Al Gore, if he fails to wrest the presidency from Bush, may attempt to become vice-president.

On Saturday, I spoke with Senator Bob Smith, a Republican of New Hampshire.

He confirmed to me that both Democrats and Republican lawmakers are talking about a Bush-Gore presidency.

Here’s how that might happen:

If Gore wins one or more of his legal efforts, and the Fla. Supreme Court backs up Gore’s claims that he won the popular vote in Fla., Gore will claim the presidency.

At the same time the Fla. legislature will select and designate Bush’s set of Electors to vote on the December 18 Electoral College date.

Two sets of Electors for Fla. will vie for status in the Electoral College, and the dispute will be resolved by the new Congress which will be seated on January 5 of next year.

There is little doubt that the Republican-controlled House of Representatives will endorse Bush, certify his Fla. electors, and end Gore’s quest for the presidency.

Then the action turns to the Senate, who has the Consitutional duty to select the vice-president. As it stands now, the new Senate will be even divided 50-50 between the Republicans and Democrats. With Al Gore as vice president and president of the Senate until Jan. 20, the Senate will technically be controlled by the Democrats.

Gore and the Democrats will select the new vice-president.

Smith says that under existing law, only four people can be chosen by the Senate to be vice-president: Bush, Cheney, Gore or Lieberman.

But if the Senate Democrats select Lieberman, they will lose control of the Senate. He is currently a sitting Senator from Connecticut. If he leaves the Senate, the Republican governor of Conn. will chose his replacement.

Gore will have a good argument to take the vice-presidency for himself. He will also be emboldened by claiming to have won the popular vote nationally, the popular vote in Fla., and the Electoral College.

Smith says he does not foresee Gore’s claims accepted by the Bush administration. "Vice-president” Gore would not be part of the administration or the cabinet, but would simply keep his Constitutional duty as president of the Senate.

Still, "Vice-president” Gore will have a valuable platform to prepare for another presidential run in 2004.

It is widely believed that is Gore loses to Bush he will be finished politically. However, this novel twist with him assuming the vice-presidency gives him political viability.

Far-fetched? Smith doesn’t think so and said anything is possible if the Electoral College dispute lands in the hands of Congress.

Asked if he thinks the matter will go before Congress, Smith said, "I definitely think so.”

Concerns about Gore or another Democrat trying to have the new Democrat-controlled Senate steal the vice-presidency from Dick Cheney are being taken very seriously.

Bush camp sources tell me that the Bush campaign sees an effort by the Democrats to take the vice-presidency a very real possibility.

Already the Bush campaign is planning a strategy of getting one or more Democratic senators to defect to the Republican camp.

Bush’s phone call to Democratic Sen. John Breaux of Louisiana is one indication the Bush camp wants to avert a showdown in the Senate, and some key Democratic Senators may be offered cabinet positions to keep Gore or Lieberman from the vice-presidency.

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