Bush-Gore Vote Tallies in Florida

* Re “Recount Would Have Increased Bush Win, Papers Say,” April 4: Whether or not George W. Bush achieved the votes necessary to win the state of Florida is a moot point. It is the means by which he ascended to the presidency--and that’s on the backs of five Supreme Court justices. It remains just as true today as it was on his inauguration; the president was appointed, not elected.

JOE KRULDER

Lemon Grove

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Why is it that the so-called liberal media headline “Bush Wins Florida,” whenever they feel his clout may need a boost? First they told us that Bush really won the Florida vote the day of his first address to Congress, even though the article was based mostly on the Miami-Dade County recounts. Now, the day after a major crisis with the Chinese, the media are declaring Bush the winner in Florida again, even though the article states that conservative counting methods would have given Al Gore a three-vote margin of victory and liberal counting methods would give Gore a 393-vote margin of victory.

Shouldn’t the headline read, “Al Gore Won Florida”? What gives?

FREDRICK J. LaGUARDIA

Beverly Hills

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After months of sniping from prominent socialists, errr, Democrats about how the election was stolen from them, we find out what all people who have some intelligence knew: Bush won Florida. Does The Times put this as a front-page story? Of course not. You put a small headline in a tiny box on the front page and then bury the story on A10. Call me a cynic, but I highly doubt that your crack team of editors would have done the same had the thieves been successful in stealing enough votes for Gore.

BRUCE CAMPBELL

Chino

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Re “Cause for Compromise,” editorial, April 5: Since when did a concession speech confirm presidential legitimacy any more than the hubris of a premature acceptance speech? When a court presupposes one candidate has the right to win the election and any recount that shows the other candidate received more votes could “cloud” that right? When costly media recounts are covered up with spurious headlines that one candidate won, where the critical results from some counties as ordered by the state Supreme Court are admittedly not included in the computation base? When manufactured national unity compromises the survival of democracy?

WILL WYCHE

Palm Springs