Gingrich: Gore presidency could be 'tainted' by Florida events

From CNN Capitol Hill Producer Ted Barrett

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Wednesday that Democrat Al Gore's potential presidency is "teetering on the edge of not being legitimate" and accused the Democratic nominee of trying to "steal" votes as he presses for manual recounts in some Florida counties.

Gingrich said Gore's only road to legitimacy is if he wins the election based on the overseas ballots that remain to be counted.

"I think he will be remarkably tainted if they try to find some way to steal the ballots by recounting in a way that changes the rules," Gingrich told CNN.

Gingrich served as speaker of the House from 1995 until 1998, when Republican electoral losses during the drive to impeach President Clinton prompted his resignation. He was on Capitol Hill on Wednesday for the unveiling of his official portrait.

Asked about reports that congressional Republicans are concerned about some of the public relations tactics employed by the Bush campaign, Gingrich defended the campaign's top man in Florida, former Secretary of State James Baker.

"I learned a long time ago, as a junior member of Congress, never to second-guess Jim Baker. Jim Baker is one of the smartest general leaders the United States has had in 25 years," Gingrich said.

The former Georgia congressman said Bush's aides have "tried to be serious," and predicted Americans would soon grow weary of the Gore campaign's "pushiness."

"If you read the columns, if you see what people are saying, there is a general sense that Gore's gone too far," Gingrich said. "If he wins the overseas ballots and wins the state honestly, that's one thing.

"But I think for Gore to now have a second election -- and that's what it is, if you start counting these ballots by hand and anybody can steal it -- that's wrong, and I think the country will see it as wrong," he said.

But whoever wins will have a difficult time governing a divided nation, he said.

"The next president, I think, will have to be very creative at knitting together an ability to solve problems and an ability to govern from day one because they're going to arrive without any natural mandate -- because that's the reality of where the country is," Gingrich said.