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Saturday Morning News

Baker Calls on Gore to Accept Results of Recount

Aired November 11, 2000 - 11:01 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The plot is thickening, the twists, the turns, the bumps in the road on this Saturday after the election 2000 continue.

Just a few moments ago, live here on CNN, former Secretary of State James Baker, the point person for the Bush campaign in Texas as this contested election continues on, issued a statement before reporters that the campaign will be filing suit in federal court to try to stop the third recount in that contested state.

CNN's Bill Himmer -- Hemmer, excuse me, is in Tallahassee. He is updating a story that is unfolding very rapidly and has been all week -- Bill.

BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Miles, on a rather chilly morning here in northern Florida, the heat is being turned up hour by hour. James Baker, as you just heard a short time ago, says the Bush campaign will go to court to try end what they consider constant and consistent counts and recounts.

Here's James Baker from a few moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES BAKER, OBSERVER FOR BUSH CAMPAIGN: The manual vote count sought by the Gore campaign would not be more accurate than an automated count. Indeed, it would be less fair and less accurate. Human error, individual subjectivity, and decisions to, quote, "determine the voters' intent," close quote, would replace precision machinery in tabulating millions of small marks and fragile hole punches. There would be countless opportunities for the ballots to be subject to a whole host of risks. The potential for mischief would exist to a far greater degree than in the automated count and recount that these very ballots have already been subjected to.

It is precisely, ladies and gentlemen, for these reasons that our democracy over the years has moved increasingly from hand counting of votes to machine counting. Machines are neither Republicans nor Democrats, and therefore can be neither consciously nor unconsciously biased.

There are not even any procedures or standards to govern this third and selective vote count. A manual recount permits the electoral boards in each county in Florida to determine the intent of the voter, without setting forth any standards at all for deciding that intent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Again, James Baker a short time ago indicating the Bush campaign intends to go to Florida and to stop the continued recounts here in the state of Florida.

Two rather significant moments occurring in that briefing as well. Yesterday, when James Birker -- Baker, rather, met with reporters, he came this close, ever so close, to asking Al Gore to concede in this race. In only the second sentence, he says, "We urge, based on these results, the Gore campaign to accept the finality of this election."

More coming up shortly. Back to Miles, though, for a developing story out of Washington.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill.

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