For more than a week now, I’ve been content to let other talking heads work themselves into a lather over the results of what is, admittedly, one of the most bizarre political "non-events" of our day.

In the wee hours of Wednesday, November 8^th, I suspected I would have plenty of time to throw in my two cents, sometime down the line. Al Gore will never give up gracefully and, as of this moment, the Constitution and Electoral College are still likely to come down on the side of George W. Bush. Speaking of Bush, a man who has spent more than a week assembling his Presidential cabinet is not likely to offer a concession speech, anytime soon, either.

We could get into dueling court orders, imbecilic ballot belly-aches and vote fraud charges. They all deserve significant attention.

But let’s cut to the chase. What if Al Gore is successful? What if his team of 100 lawyers, Jesse Jackson and Janet Reno’s Injustice Department all declare Gore our next President? What does that mean for America?

In the closing days of the election, we tried our best to warn voters of Gore’s willingness to break laws he had crafted, hoping to improve his personal stock with Russia’s Prime Minister. Gore looked the other way when Victor Chernomyrdin sold advanced military equipment and a nuclear reactor to terrorist state, Iran.

We know Iran considers America to be the "great Satan" and would like nothing better than to see this great land thrown on the trash heap of history. But what of Russia? Are its intentions toward us any kinder?

Let’s review. Al Gore winked at Russia’s arms trafficking with Iran, allegedly to improve our relations with the former superpower. But despite Al’s appeasement and treason, Russia is blaming a NATO submarine for colliding with its ill-fated sub, the Kursk. Some say Russia responded by selling high explosives to the Islamic terrorist group that attacked the USS Cole, killing 17 of our sailors. Russia recently buzzed our aircraft carrier, the USS Kitty Hawk, in the Sea of Japan not once but three times.

The Russian newspaper Izvestiya claims their SU-24 and SU-27 planes came in under our radar screen, took pictures of activities on the carrier flight deck and were totally unchallenged on their first overflight. Only when a second wave of fighters flew by did the Kitty Hawk launch F-18 Hornets to intercept them. The Russian paper boasted that their flyboys could have sunk our carrier if they had been flying a "war mission."

I’m seeing a pattern develop here. Under the Clinton rules of engagement, we don’t intercept enemy fighters until they get close enough to drop a business card on deck. Sailors are not permitted to offer protective fire against terrorist boats loaded with high explosives, piloted by human torpedoes. Oh, and let’s not forget. We are not allowed to retaliate against a nuclear attack on the United States by firing on launch. No, Bill Clinton has publicly ordered our military to absorb an enemy first strike before launching any nuclear counter strike.

And how close have we come to that scenario, lately? We received word last week that twice this year, including once earlier this month, Russian rocket crews were spotted removing concrete covers from missile silos, a precursor to an imminent launch scenario.

This entire story reminds me of Hansel and Gretel…or perhaps we should say, Bill and Al. The two heroes lose their way and blindly stumble upon the gingerbread house in the woods. They stuff themselves to the breaking point with ill-advised, questionably acquired gain. Then, the kindly old lady who owns the house invites them to stay for dinner.

Of course, they prove to be the main course.

If Quislings, Bill and Al, were the only ones likely to be consumed by their folly, not many of us would shed a tear. Unfortunately, they’ve brought us along for the ride.

That’s what’s eating me.

And that’s the main reason why I hope Florida election judges, somewhere along the way, learned how to count.

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