Gore remains virtually silent amid decisions

After several days of making his case to the nation, the vice president spends Monday largely out of the public eye.

©Washington Post, published December 5, 2000

WASHINGTON -- Alone in the vice president's mansion with only family to keep him company, Al Gore got the bad news from Tallahassee on Monday the same way much of America did: on television.

Not since the wee hours of Nov. 8 has the vice president suffered setbacks of such magnitude. But unlike the highs and lows of Election Night, the losses were unremitting.

First the U.S. Supreme Court tossed his case back to Florida, undercutting -- at least temporarily -- the most favorable court ruling he had received. Five hours later, Leon Circuit Judge N. Sanders Sauls affirmed George W. Bush's narrow victory in the Florida contest.

Always more comfortable on offense than defense, Gore indicated he would fight on, immediately appealing Sauls' ruling to the state Supreme Court.

But there was a subtle shift in Gore's approach Monday, from frenetic involvement in every detail of the legal and political battle to a more quiet, wait-and-see attitude. After several days of personally making his case over the airwaves, he was silent, and virtually invisible.

Gore began the day with a telephone call to Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe to discuss the pending Supreme Court decision, according to spokesman Mark Fabiani. He had planned to head to work after that conversation. But just before noon, the decision was announced, and Gore was back on the phone with Tribe, who had argued the case on Gore's behalf.

After an hourlong transition meeting at the Old Executive Office Building, Gore returned to his home at the Naval Observatory on Embassy Row. His wife, Tipper, in the midst of decorating their 11-foot Christmas tree, joined Gore and daughter Kristin to watch Sauls read his verdict.

Minutes later, his team swung into action. Senior advisers Carter Eskew and William Daley, from separate offices in Washington, telephoned Gore. Fabiani began working the press corps, quickly assuring reporters on deadline that the ruling had been "expected." Strategists Monica Dixon and Donna Brazile contacted Democratic lawmakers, governors and mayors.

Running mate Joseph Lieberman, watching from his home near Georgetown, joined a previously scheduled conference call with Senate colleagues, aides said. Reading off talking points crafted in advance, he characterized the day as a net plus for the Democratic team because now their remarkable election challenge would be rushed to the Florida Supreme Court.

Soon after, many of Gore's senior staff participated in a brief conference call. The vice president did not get on the line; nor did lawyers Ron Klain or David Boies, who were giving media interviews in Florida. Gore did not hold a conference call with Lieberman, Daley and Boies until 6 p.m.

Several Democratic allies said Gore had been upbeat Sunday night, especially pleased with his performance on CBS's 60 Minutes program. He took a few breaks to watch the Washington Redskins and Tennessee Titans football games, friends said.

But after a hectic weekend of meetings, e-mails and even a lengthy telephone call with one of two witnesses on his behalf in the Circuit Court case, Monday was uncharacteristically quiet.

Most notably, for the first time in this post-election odyssey, people close to Gore began speaking with a sense of finality.

"When the Florida Supreme Court resolves all the contests in the state, that will be the end of this matter for us," Fabiani said Sunday night.

And at the big house on the hill, the Gores planned to finish their tree-trimming Tuesday, said spokeswoman Camille Johnston. Win or lose, she said, the holiday parties begin next Sunday.

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