Roundup: Gore Fights on, Bush Sets up Transition Offices

US Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore is pressing ahead on Wednesday with his legal challenge to the November 7 presidential election, while his Republican rival George W. Bush is setting up transition offices to take over the White House.

Gore's lawyers, whose request to count disputed ballots immediately was turned down on Tuesday by a Leon County Circuit Court judge, appealed to the First District Court of Appeals on Wednesday, November 29.

The lawyers, hoping to secure permission from the appeals court to file "an original petition" with the Florida Supreme Court, is asking for immediate recount of the ballots in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.

Earlier on Wednesday, Gore declared that "I certainly believe that I did" win the White House.

"I understand that there's considerable doubt about" the outcome of the November 7 election, Gore said in appearance on NBC 's "Today" program, adding that he still has a "50-50" chance of being declared the winner.

Unlike Bush who was working more publicly on transition, Gore was planning his potential administration appointments privately.

Gore and his running mate Joseph Lieberman discussed about possible cabinet appointments at a White House lunch with transition director Roy Neel and Labor Secretary Alexis Herman.

Meanwhile, Bush's running mate Dick Cheney announced on Wednesday that Bush is setting up transition offices at McLean, Virginia, in suburban Washington in a bid to take over the White House.

Cheney, who is heading the Bush transition effort, said that his team would accelerate the search for possible Cabinet picks and senior administration officials.

He said Bush has invited retired general Colin Powell, who led the military during the 1991 Gulf War, to Texas on Thursday for an "extended discussion of the transition."

Powell has been mentioned as Bush's choice for secretary of state, but Cheney declined to confirm the speculation. "We do not plan to make any cabinet announcements this week," he said.

Bush's transition offices are being paid for with private funds as the Clinton Administration has promised not to release the government transition office space and money until the Florida election dispute is settled.

As the legal battle between Gore and Bush rages on, members of a Florida Legislature special committee met for the second straight day on Wednesday, weighing a special session to intervene in Florida's election dispute.

The Republican-led Legislature is concerned that the legal battle might not be over by a critical December 12 deadline for the state to decide the electors.

A newly created Florida Legislature committee of eight Republican and six Democratic lawmakers may decide by Wednesday afternoon to call a special session for appointing the state's electors.

"I think our primary purpose is to make certain we are represented and we do have a slate of electors. And I think that would be a travesty if we are not represented," said state Senator Daniel Webster, a Republican.

Florida's Secretary of State Katherine Harris certified on Sunday that Bush won the state's presidential election by 537 votes out of almost 6 million cast. The certification was immediately challenged by Gore in courts.






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