No one has called me yet -- Big money and platoons of lawyers on election standby -- I love it (and I'm glad Wm. Shakespeare is not around)

The 9-11-04 wsj reports:

Six weeks before Election Day, the two major political parties are skirmishing over election laws, practices and vote counts while building up war chests and hiring platoons of lawyers for a possible replay of the 2000 recount battle.

No one is publicly predicting that this year's election will end up in the courts like the 2000 presidential election, which ultimately was settled by the Supreme Court. But in a closely fought race and with a divided electorate, both parties are planning to keep close tabs on election procedures and pounce on perceived irregularities as a wedge to gain an edge. Complications this year -- including an expected surge in early voting, new elections systems in some areas and large numbers of military voters overseas -- add to potential areas of conflict.

Both parties say their experiences in 2000 taught them that sophisticated turnout operations can take a back seat to legal arguments.

The [Democratic Party's] new legal teams have tested their operation by dogging Ralph Nader's efforts to get on the presidential ballot.

(Email me for full article; the wsj is a paid subscripton.)