We should have known what to expect from Gore's example during the campaign. Why else would he lie so frequently about piddly things, or mislead the press and the public after being discovered (such as having a dam release water during a drought in New Hampshire just so his canoe wouldn't run aground). Sammon notes about this case that could be applied for almost everything he did after the election: "When caught in a jam, he reflexively resorted to deception instead of just taking his licks and moving on."

I disagree, though, with his assertion that:

"At that early stage of the standoff, no one could have imagined that Gore would personally direct a smear-and-destroy campaign against Florida's top election official for simply upholding the law. In those innocent days of the automatic statewide recount, no one could have predicted that Gore would resort to disenfranchising G Is serving overseas, not to mention civilians living right there in Florida, even as he publicly pleaded to 'count every vote.' And not even the craziest of conspiracy theorists would dare posit a scenario in which Gore would privately consult an Electoral College expert to advise him on the possibilities of enlisting 'faithless' Bush electors."

As Al Gore is quoted on the back cover notes, "I'm not like George Bush," he told aides, "If he wins or loses, life goes on. I'll do anything to win." And he certainly tried.

Sammon spends a good bit of time in proving how the Fourth Estate could have possibly prevented the entire debacle before it even started, if they would have had some patience and correctly called Florida. This means that the media should have waited until after the polls in the Central Time Zone closed, which could have meant another 10,000 votes for Bush. Because of those measly 10 minutes, Republicans across the country may have stayed positive in the Central, Mountain and West, putting Bush ahead in the national popular vote as well.

Sammon pulls no punches in his assault on the liberal press, stating unequivocally that "it is entirely arguable that the bad calls by the networks led directly to the standoff that paralyzed the nation for thirty-six days."

What I was looking for, though, were personal stories untold until now, dealing with the individuals on the front lines of the political melee. For the most part Sammon delivers, with a few tales that are truly riveting. However, I would have liked more on the direct impact that Gore was having, rather than a couple of sentences per chapter stating what Gore was trying to do, then moving on to his underlings doing his bidding. It comes across a tad detached, which I suppose is to be expected since Sammon spent over a month in the Sunshine State while Gore's war room was in his D.C. mansion.

In the margins for notes I found myself jotting the same words over and over again, reliving the nightmarish month: "Infuriating," "excruciating," "aargh," "pricks" (when Dems sunk lower and lower), "good call" (when GOP did something positive), et al. Sometimes it actually hurt to read about the hellish episodes detailed by Sammon.

But, it's no less important reading to anyone who felt that the Right was getting the shaft in November and December of 2000. Even more so, it may just give a push to those on the fence politically who don't really believe that Democrats could be that low. I'm here to tell you, they can and they were. As Sammon pointed out, Gore's antics ticked off the GOP so much that normally dispassionate Republicans finally got to their feet and rose up against the tyranny of the eight years under Clinton/Gore. And you can bet that voter turnout in 2004 will be enormous, so here's hoping the fire still burns against the Left until then.