www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=2456879
Kerry Would End Colored Terror Alerts Posted: October 20, 2004 at 1:11 pm WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. John Kerry, bracing for a potential fight over el ection results, will not hesitate to declare victory Nov. He also will be prepared to name a national security te am before knowing whether he's secured the presidency. In short, the Democratic presidential candidate has a simple strategy for Nov. The Democratic vice president prematurely conceded the 2000 race to Georg e W Bush, then had to retract his concession after aides said Florida w asn't lost. He never declared victory, an omission Kerry's advisers -- m any of whom worked for Gore -- now believe created a sense of inevitabil ity in voters' minds about Bush's presidency. Gore didn't plan for the legal showdown, though few could have predicted it before Election Day. And he watched as Bush seized political advantag e during the 36-day recount by publicly discussing a transition to the W hite House. If there is doubt about the resu lts, they will fight without delay. "The first thing we will do is make sure everybody has an opportunity to vote and every vote is counted," said Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter . "We will be ready to hit the ground running and begin a fresh start in this country, given that so many critical issues are before us." The prospects for another contested election loom with every poll showing the race neck and neck. Six so-called "SWAT teams" of lawyers and political operatives will be si tuated around the country with fueled-up jets awaiting Kerry's orders to speed to a battleground state. The teams have been told to be ready to fly on the evening of the election to begin mounting legal and political fights. Every battleground state will have a SWAT team within an hour o f its borders. The Kerry campaign has recount office space in every battleground state, with plans so detailed they include the number of staplers and coffee ma chines needed to mount legal challenges. "Right now, we have 10,000 lawyers out in the battleground states on Elec tion Day, and that number is growing by the day," said Michael Whouley, a Kerry confidant who is running election operations at the Democratic N ational Committee. While the lawyers litigate, political operatives will try to shape public perception. Their goal would be to persuade voters that Kerry has the b est claim to the presidency and that Republicans are trying to steal it. Democrats are already laying the public relations groundwork by pointing to every possible voting irregularity before the Nov. On Election Day, Whouley will head the so-called "boiler room," probably in Washington, that tracks vote counts and ensures Kerry doesn't concede too soon. Whouley was the aide who, after noticing Florida was too clos e to call in 2000, called Gore's team in Tennessee and told them to put the brakes on the concession speech. Campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill will be with Kerry in Boston, where the y will field Whouley's calls. Jim Johnson, who headed Kerry's vice presidential search team, former Lab or Secretary Alexis Herman and longtime Kerry aide David McKean lead the team planning Kerry's transition to the White House. Aides say the transition process is behind schedule, but Kerry will be re ady to name a national security team shortly after the election. They sa y he has candidates in mind, but is reluctant to discuss the transition while campaigning. The advisers spoke on condition of anonymity because Kerry wants the focu s to be on his campaign for now. The plan to quickly name a national security team is partly practical (at a time of war, continuity is necessary) and political, aides said, beca use if there is another recount Kerry will want to show he's ready to ta ke power. Amid the tumult of the 2000 recount, Bush sought to make his presidency a ppear inevitable time by leaking word of his national security team and bringing news cameras into his transition meetings. Gore and his staff w ere more reluctant to talk about the appointment process. Kerry's advisers say Bush would have a natural political advantage in a r e-count in this election because he is the president, with a national se curity team in place and a public relations spotlight that comes with th e White House.
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