"FROM
50,000 TO 600 IN ONE HALF HOUR…?" [see article]
GORE CONCEDES
RACE, THEN RETRACTS CONCESSION
In what could
be the most stunning twist in Tuesday's suspense-filled presidential
race, Vice President Al Gore retracted his concession to George
W. Bush just moments before Bush was about to publicly proclaim
his victory.
The Texas
governor was heading to a rally to address thousands of supporters
waiting in the rainy pre-dawn Wednesday morning in Austin, Texas,
when Gore -who had conceded the race to Bush just an hour earlier
- called back. "He called an hour ago to concede," said
Bush spokesperson Karen Hughes. "He just called us back to
retract that concession. It's unbelievable."
Unbelievable
was how many observers described the seesawing election night
- particularly in Florida, the state that will now decide the
election after a recount. Florida was called early in a column
by the television networks, then deemed too close to call. In
the early hours of Wednesday, the networks then called Florida
- and the election - for Bush, which prompted Gore to concede.
But when Florida was once again returned to the undecided column,
Gore placed a second call to his Republican rival.
Bush aides
in the room with the Texas governor said they were tipped to the
content of the call when Bush, after greeting Gore as "Mr.
Vice President," adopted a"highly incredulous tone"
and said, "I want to understand this correctly, Mr. Vice
President: You're saying you're going to retract your concession?"
Bush then repeated the question, the sources said, in the same
"disbelieving" and "amazed" tone. That prompted
Gore to reply, "You don't have to get snippy about it,"
Bush said, according to the sources.
Gore reportedly
told Bush "circumstances had changed," based on new
reporting from Florida. Advisers became aware of the discrepancy
in the number of votes just moments before Gore was to deliver
a public speech conceding the race.
The conversation
between the candidates then reportedly turned more cordial. "We
gave them a cliffhanger," the vice president told Bush, according
to Hughes. Hughes said Bush replied, "You're a formidable
opponent and a good man. I know it's hard. I know it's hard for
your family. Give my best to Tipper and your children."
Both Austin
and Nashville were drenched with rain overnight, but that didn't
stop supporters for both candidates from waiting in the streets
for final word. Shortly after 4 a.m. ET, spokesmen for both the
Bush and Gore campaigns emerged to speak to the die-hard supporters
braving the rainy weather in both cities. Both spokesmen said
the race was too close to call. "This race has come down
to the state of Florida," said Gore campaign manager Bill
Daley. "Our campaign continues."
Bush spokesman
Don Evans acknowledged that votes were still being counted in
Florida, but said: "I'm confident, when it's all said and
done, we will prevail." Gore chief strategist Carter , standing
in the street after the vice president's motorcade sped away,
said Gore decided to retract his concession to Bush because "there
was a significant change in half an hour of a vote that went from
50,000 to 600," a reference to Bush's shrinking margin in
Florida.
"He
called once to concede and when the situation changed he called
him back," said. "This race is not over."
- Fox News'
Carl Cameron and the Associated Press contributed to this report
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