Pre-Poll Prognostication

Eight years ago this fall, as these re-United States were embroiled in vote count litigation following a close election, I was serving as the Chief of Operations at US Forces, Korea. For several weeks at the beginning of daily meetings with my Korean counterparts, I labored to answer their questions about what was going on in America. Bridging the cultural and linguistic gaps was a daily challenge without having to include definitions of "hanging chads" and explanations of the historical reasons for the electoral college. One Korean officer opined, "Americans must be very smart to be able to understand all of this." To which I could only sputter through my laugh, "They have no clue!"

If you thought what happened in 2000 was a wild ride, buckle your seatbelts--the aftermath of the 2008 presidential elections will likely make the Gore-Bush recount debacle look like a fender-bender compared to a "big one" at Talledega.

Understand this, the Democrat Party in general, and Barack Obama in particular, will not accept a close loss gracefully, with actions in the best interest of the nation. Both the Democrat Party and Senator Obama have track records replete with concrete examples of just the opposite. During his brief, meteoric rise to political prominence, Senator Obama has engineered primary and election wins by disqualifying his opponents with challenges of their failures to cross every "t" and dot every "i" on their ballot petition paperwork. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised that the fact that Senator McCain was not born in the United States (he was born at a US naval station in the Panama Canal Zone) has not been raised as a serious challenge. One of the very few qualifications for election to President specified in the The Constitution is that the person must have been born in the United States. One can argue convincingly that a US military base is US soil, regardless of location, and further, that the Panama Canal Zone was a US Territory; but it is a constitutional issue that could be exploited, and may yet be.

If this election remains as closely deadlocked as the polls seemed to indicate, there will be some very close ballot counts in some very important, from an Electoral College standpoint, states. Here's my prediction regarding how the two candidates and their parties will react on Wednesday morning following Election Day if the vote counts in key states are very close:

If Senator Obama is edged out by Senator McCain, the base of the Democrat Party, led by a chorus of classless celebrities, will rant and rave about another election stolen from the people. Legions of lawyers (paid for by George Soros) will begin litigation to force recounts.

If Senator McCain is edged out by Senator Obama, the base of the Republican Party will go back to work making this country's economy hum so that we can all waste millions watching classless celebrities collapse our culture.