corrente

Of course, the SCLM spin will be "Kerry refuses to concede Ohio," but—since the two statements are, arithmetically, equivalent—why not call the situation by its right name? Especially when it sounds better?

November 3, 2004
Statement from Kerry Campaign Manager Mary Beth Cahill on Ohio
For Immediate Release

Boston, MA - Kerry-Edwards campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill released the following statement:

“The vote count in Ohio has not been completed. There are more than 250,000 remaining votes to be counted. We believe when they are, John Kerry will win Ohio.”
(Kerry site

So, it was a genuine guantlet that Kerry threw down.

UPDATE Say, you'd think this would be news, wouldn't it? Yet, oddly, it doesn't appear on CBS, ABC, Reuters, WaPo, or the Times. Strange. Isn't it news?

UPDATE John Edwards chimes in:

"John Kerry and I have made a promise to the American people that with this election every vote would count and every vote would be counted. Tonight we are keeping our word and we will fight for every vote," Edwards, a North Carolina senator, said.

Reuters (of course).

NOTE "Arithmetically," meaning that if Kerry captures the northern tier of Michigan and Wisconsin, where he is now ahead, as well as Iowa—strange how those voting machine problems cropped up, isn't it—then, if he wins Ohio, he wins.

Incidentally, I hope Kerry's in bed. And I hope all the Democratic lawyers are NOT sleeping, and are already on the ground, in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan, as well as Ohio. Because we can be damn sure that's what the Republicans are doing.