At Any Cost: How Al Gore Tried to Steal the Election (Paperback)

~ (Author) "It was 5:15 A.M. by the time I finally left the Washington Times newsroom on November 8, 2000..." (more)
Key Phrases: Palm Beach, Florida Supreme Court, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Washington Times reporter Bill Sammon makes it clear in the opening pages of At Any Cost that he's not a big fan of Al Gore. In this fast-paced account of what happened to Florida's controversial vote, he explains how a defeated Gore desperately fought to turn things around. He starts by suggesting that tens of thousands of voters in the Florida Panhandle--Republican country--decided not to cast ballots when the media wrongly called the state for Gore early in the evening on Election Day, before all the polls had closed in the western part of the state. Without this blunder--which hasn't received nearly the attention heaped on the media for prematurely calling the election for George W. Bush several hours later--Sammon believes Gore would have given up his post-election campaign much sooner. Sammon also believes this had repercussions outside Florida: "If not for the networks' early and erroneous projections, Bush might have easily won the popular vote, and carried a few congressional seats with him."

The bulk of the book zeros in on Gore and his goal of "seizing the presidency." In one nifty bit of reporting, Sammon tracks down a navy lieutenant whose military ballot Gore's lawyers were determined to throw out. Sammon describes the unseemly spectacle of their success:

When the [Duval County] canvassing board announced that the ballots of 149 soldiers, sailors, and airmen had been disqualified, a pair of jubilant Gore lawyers exchanged high-fives. A Republican, visibly shaken by this sight, demanded to know how they could celebrate the disenfranchisement of U.S. military members risking their lives around the world. One of the Gore lawyers glibly replied, "A win's a win."

Sammon also covers all that business about the chads, Gore's "smear campaign" against Secretary of State Katherine Harris, and the Supreme Court's controversial Bush v. Gore ruling. This is by no means the definitive story of what happened in Florida, but it's a useful piece of journalism--and one that Bush's supporters will read with that heady mixture of outrage and excitement that politics uniquely provides. --John J. Miller --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

This book reads like a political thriller. It exposes all the behind-the-scenes manipulation and courtroom maneuvering that turned Florida's election upside down.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing, Inc. (November 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895261227
• ISBN-13: 978-0895261229
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (348 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #307,749 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

119 of 127 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect case of democratic misbehavior, February 18, 2003

By	Pete Sabatino (Orange City, Fl) - See all my reviews

I agree with the reviewer from Melbourne and know many people who where going to vote for Bush but didn't only because of the fiasco in the media announcing Al Gore as the winner and that polls were closed.And how about all of the Military votes, many which would have gone to Bush whch were thrown out!A perfect example of Democratic Misbehavior.

88 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pennsylvanians didn't vote for Gore either, March 25, 2003

By	Cableman (Pottstown, Pa.) - See all my reviews

I am not surprised to hear than not one southern state voted for Gore or that most states voted for Bush.As a Pennsylvanian, I and many from the Keystone state, particularly those who are anti-abortion voted for Bush as well.Gore acted like a selfish thief during the election and like a crybaby afterwards.And this man wanted to be our leader? No thanks!

56 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Military votes don't matter????, March 29, 2003

By	Adam L. Lapinski (Patricks AFB, Fl) - See all my reviews

Al Gores Win At Any Cost strategy was pathetic. This is supposed to be America where everyone has equal say.

The actions by Mr. Gore and his party show no concern not only for a fair and equal democracy, but for the people who proudly serve their country and keep it save from terrorists and make the world free as we are doing in Iraq right now.

Just for the record, my vote was for Bush.

Excellent book Mr. Sammons. Glad that someone is telling it as it really happened.