End Of The Line

Congressional Democrats and the Gore campaign agree: Al Gore's sell-by date arrives whenever the Supreme Court of Florida disposes of his latest appeal, even if other election cases continue in Florida's courts.

Speaking of their appeal of the decision by a Florida trial judge on the recount issue, Gore's team has signaled that the Supreme Court of Florida is the end of the line.

Gore's lawyer David Boies said: "When the Florida Supreme Court makes its decision on this matter, we will accept that." And Gore's campaign spokesman Mark Fabiani called the state supreme court "the last stop " and "the final word."

That said, trials begin Wednesday in two cases where Democrats allege Republicans altered ballots improperly in Seminole County and Martin County. The Gore campaign says they're not pinning their hopes on those cases, even though the number of ballots in question in either case is enough to throw the election Gore's way.

"No one here is saying, 'Well, there's always Seminole...'" said Gore campaign spokeswoman Julia Payne, who said the disposition of the Seminole and Martin counties cases will not affect Gore's decision one way or another about whether to claim victory or concede defeat when his appeal his through.

Asked Tuesday about the cases, which could still be pending when the court rules on his appeal, Gore said only that he thinks those cases, to which he is not a party, will end up in the appellate court too. "I do think it's likely that all the current controversies will be resolved one way or another in the Florida Supreme Court," the vice president said.

Congress watchers think Senate and House Democrats will support Gore for as long as it takes the appellate court to rule.

On Capitol Hill, where both Joe Lieberman and Dick Cheney addressed their troops on Tuesday, House Democrats said they're supporting Gore. But Minority Leader Dick Gephardt's remarks were quite specific: Gore and Lieberman "have strong support for their effort to go to the Supreme Court of Florida and to get a full review of the decision that was rendered yesterday in the circuit court." A Gephardt aide said that Lieberman did not mention the other cases when he spoke about the Gore appeal in his meeting with House Democrats.

Hotline Editor-in-Chief Craig Crawford says Democrats are "giving [Gore] a pass on waiting out the Florida Supreme Court" but if Gore does not bow out after a loss on appeal, Democrats might go to the more "approachable" Lieberman and ask him to speak to Gore.

"The end is in sight," said political analyst Charlie Cook, Editor of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, who also notes that Gore is not particularly close to the Democratic leadership in Congress.

"Given what this guy has done, committed himself for two years to this, and given the circumstances, I think it's understandable that everyone else would cme to the conclusion that this was over before Gore himself would. I think Democratic congressional leaders were reconciled a week or two ago that this thing was probably gone. But [Gore] has to come to that conclusion himself."

On CBS News' Early Show, Crawford said that Democrats are sticking together not so much out of personal loyalty to Gore but in reaction to Republican partisanship during the recount process.

"What's driving Democrats is some real bitterness -- and I think it will grow into real anger--at what they feel is the Bush camp's successful efforts to demonize a routine process of hand-counting ballots in close races," Crawford said.

In Washington, the partisanship may well continue.

Some Democrats wore orange ribbons Tuesday to show support for disenfranchised Florida voters.

And Republicans are split over what tack to take in the outstanding budget negotiations, which will be the business of the lame duck session. With important and divisive issues like Medicare, taxes and schools on the table, some Republicans, spines stiffened by the improved prospects for a final Bush win, want to take a hard line.