Gore Lets The Glory Out

Vice President Al Gore conceded the extraordinary 2000 presidential election Wednesday night with a nationally televised address calling on Americans to "unite behind our next president," George W. Bush.

A double shot of statesmanship with a splash of humility, the speech was a cool drink after five weeks of overheated rhetoric in the battle over recounts in Florida.

Surrounded by his family, Gore acknowledged the hard feelings that are the residue of the court fights and politicking and said it was time to move on.

"Almost a century and a half ago," the vice president said, "Senator Stephen Douglas told Abraham Lincoln, who had just defeated him for the presidency, 'Partisan feeling must yield to patriotism. I am with you, Mr. President, and God bless you.' In that same spirit, I say to President-elect Bush that what remains of partisan rancor must now be put aside. And may God bless his stewardship of this country."

Gore's post-election drive to get what would have been, in his view, a more complete and accurate count of every legal vote cast ended in the United States Supreme Court, "resolved as it must be resolved," Gore said, "through the honored institutions of our democracy."

Gore encouraged Americans to respect the Supreme Court.

"Let there be no doubt: While I strongly disagree with the court's decision, I accept it," he said. "I accept the finality of this outcome."

Gore did not restate the "one-person, one-vote" theme of his challenge to the Florida vote, as aides suggested he might earlier in the day.

Gore and running mate Joe Lieberman were the first ticket since 1888 to win the nationwide popular vote but lose in the decisive Electoral College. However, Gore's only allusion to the split result was a historical reference to other "fiercely fought" electoral contests "with their own challenges to the popular will."

Gore expressed the hope that something good will come of the photo finish election, that "in one of God's unforeseen paths, this belatedly broken impasse can point us all to a new common ground. For its very closenes can serve to remind us that we are one people, with a shared history and a shared destiny."

The loser in a presidential election traditionally thanks his supporters and extends his hand to the winning side, but Gore addressed himself to the world beyond America too, saying, "Let no one see this contest as a sign of American weakness. The strength of American democracy is shown most clearly through the difficulties it can overcome."

Gore was "speaking not just as a losing politician, but as the vice president of the United States," said presidential historian Douglas Brinkley, who pointed out that if something were to happen to President Clinton, Gore would still need to serve. "He needed to reassure the country and the world that he was not going to [obstruct] the new president."

Gore borrowed from the concession speech his father Al Gore Sr. gave in 1970 when he was turned out of his United States Senate seat after a tough campaign over the divisive hot button issues of that time — Vietnam and civil rights.

Quoting poet Edwin Markham, Gore said, "As for the battle that ends tonight, I do believe, as my father once said, that no matter how hard the loss, 'Defeat may serve as well as victory to shake the soul and let the glory out.'"

For the last several days developments in the battle over recounts piled up at a dizzying pace on the legal, legislative and political fronts.

Wednesday, the breakneck pace slowed, and the atmosphere quieted. The vice president stayed inside all day with family and Bush left the Governor's mansion only to exercise and rehearse his speech.

Gore and Bush were challenged by their circumstances to choose conciliatory words that will set a more constructive, respectful tone than the one that developed in Washington over eight years of investigations, gridlock and impeachment.

Gore leavened the solemn occasion with humor. He said he would spend the holidays at home in Tennessee, "mend[ing] some fences, literally and figuratively," an allusion both to a favorite pastime on his farm and his home state's Election Night repudiation of a favorite son. As things turned out, Tennessee's 11 electoral votes could have made the difference for Gore.

Gore also told the nation that he telephoned Bush before the speech to offer congratulations, "And I promised him that I wouldn't call him back this time."

In the wee hours of Nov. 8, Gore placed a congratulatory telephone call to Bush, which he retracted an hour later after aides caught him en route to his concession speech with the news that the Florida was too close to call.