Seems like a long time ago, doesn't it?

Apparently, the newspaper consortium that was recounting Florida ballots has decided to drop the whole thing. They are somewhat vague on why, and people are speculating.

One theory is that they have done this from noble motives, to avoid "tarnishing" Bush in a time of crisis, and bringing up partisan subjects when unity is important.

A second theory is that the newspapers--whose staffs voted for Gore to the tune of approximately 80 percent--watched the data come in, and realized that every possible interpretation of the ballots within the five known dimensions of time and space would probably result in a Bush win (just like all the previous similar surveys had done). This would pretty much flatten the whole "illegitimate president" bit that was so politically useful. Hence: forget the whole recount ever happened. A convenient excuse. God knows what excuse they would have used had the attack never happened.

The first theory is, of course, the one being widely trumpeted, since it allows the suspicion that Bush is "illegitimate" to remain in full flower, without ever having to produce real evidence to that effect, and it makes the media look noble and patriotic in the bargain.

The second theory is cynical and partisan, of course, and you won't hear much about it, except maybe here.