November 4, 2004
THE PROVIDENTIALIST:
Bush Remained Confident of Win: When some aides urged him to declare victory after a long election night, he chose instead to wait for a phone call from his opponent. (Edwin Chen, November 4, 2004, LA Times)
After monitoring the election returns off and on for about 15 hours, a confident President Bush issued a final order as he headed off to bed at 5 a.m. Wednesday: Give the senator some space; upon reflection, he surely will do the right thing.Almost precisely six hours later, as Bush mingled with senior aides in the Oval Office, presidential assistant Ashley Estes interrupted with a message: Sen. John F. Kerry was on the line.
Kerry congratulated Bush on his victory. It was, by all accounts, a cordial conversation, lasting three to four minutes.
"I think you were an admirable, worthy opponent," Bush told the Massachusetts senator, a White House spokesman related later. "You waged one tough campaign…. I hope you are proud of the effort you put in. You should be."
Earlier, when some aides — recalling the bitter Florida recount of 2000 — suggested that Bush unilaterally proclaim victory, "the president flatly rejected it," said Karl Rove, the president's top political strategist.
"It's 5 in the morning. It's not going to help the country for me to go out there…. Let's all get some sleep and think about this in the morning," Rove quoted his boss as saying before retiring for the night.
The best story from Tuesday is the one that Karen Hughes told, about how when she saw him after the early exit polls looked bleak he just said: "It is what it is." That sort of equanimity has vserved him and the nation well, ever since Election Night of 2000. Posted by Orrin Judd at November 4, 2004 9:50 AM
it's this type of journalism that we love. To be a fly on the wall of both candidates from about 9:00 on, when the rumours surfaced that both Florida and Ohio were going in the right direction (actually even much earlier) would be the best cinema one could imagine. GW showed his grace, both in potential defeat and in victory. I won't besmirch JK, as it is de riguer, I guess, to say he was gracious in defeat. But to be a fly on that wall would probably suggest a much different opinion.
Posted by: neil at November 4, 2004 11:12 AMYou are absolutely right, OJ. Bush's "It is what it is" is very impressive. It shows a man who, having tried his best, and trusting in God and Providence, was perfectly (and instantly) reconciled with the idea of losing. You can just see him saying, "If that's what God wants, the way He planned it -- fine with me. Who's hungry?"
Posted by: geo at November 4, 2004 12:40 PMAccording to Jeff Greenfield, Teresa had the vapours around 5:00 PM on Tuesday, when the exit polls indicated victory. She needed a cold compress and time on the couch.
Posted by: ratbert at November 4, 2004 12:57 PMHe is a Good Man.
Posted by: jsmith at November 4, 2004 11:32 PM