72 hours, and the wait continues

Three days out, and still no word.

The presidential race remained on pause early this morning awaiting the final results of the recount in Florida. Throughout the day, The Associated Press reported a continually narrowing margin for Texas Gov. George W. Bush.

Early this morning, the apparent margin was some 229 votes in Bush's favor, with 66 of the 67 counties finished with the recount, according to the AP.

The official Florida state count showed a much larger margin last night, with Bush up by 1,784 votes. The Florida count lags behind the AP reports because the state has to wait for counties to report their recount results. The AP has reporters from its vast network in each of the 67 counties reporting preliminary results as soon as they become available.

Whatever the results of the recount in Florida, the nation will have to wait at least several days before the election is finalized. Florida law allows absentee ballots to arrive up to 10 days after the election. Some 2,000 ballots are expected to arrive in the Sunshine State between today and Nov. 17, just one month before the Electoral College will meet to vote for the president.

Recounts in several other states may also be held. Many states will also have to count absentee ballots before declaring their results official.

Meanwhile, the networks filled air time watching the campaigns, as the Bush camp in Austin and Vice President Al Gore's campaign in Nashville reacted to the prolonged process.

The Bush camp remained outwardly confident yesterday. Spokeswoman Karen Hughes told reporters in the early afternoon that the governor was going about state business and receiving national security briefings — doing his best to appear presidential while his opponent contests the results.

Many pundits believe a potential Bush presidency may hinge on the Texan's ability to convince Americans that he took the high road in the post-election dispute.

The vice president jogged with his daughters in Nashville yesterday before hopping on a plane to return to Washington for a function at Sidwell Friends, his son's high school.

Gore campaign chair William Daley was the point man for the Democrats' strategy in Florida. He indicated that Gore would request a second, manual recount in four Florida counties. He did not rule out the possibility of legal action pursuing a new election in Palm Beach County where a controversial "butterfly" ballot has brought complaints from many voters.

The Bush camp in Austin shot back saying Gore's efforts were "politicizing and distorting" the electoral process.

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Daley also said his party will support legal action by Florida voters who say they were confused by the Palm Beach ballot.

Besides the 3,407 votes for Buchanan in Palm Beach County, there were also 19,120 ballots invalidated because they were marked twice — for two different presidential candidates.

Some Democrats were crying voter fraud over the huge number of invalidated ballots, votes they believe were meant for Gore.

In addition to dividing the nation and confusing the rest of the world, the ongoing election controversy has unnerved Wall Street. Stocks plunged after Daley's news conference this afternoon but recovered toward the end of the day.