The Dice Has Been Rolled

“Oh God, Please help me.”

U.S President George W Bush pleaded in front of his supporters after finishing his last stump speech on November 1. It was he who compared the war against terror with “the Holy War.”

“The world is watching us.”

In his last election speech, U.S. Democratic candidate John Kerry said that America should recover “worldwide respect for America.”

The 2004 U.S presidential election, which has started in Hart’s Location, a mountain hamlet in New Hampshire, at midnight on November 2 (November 2, 2:00 p.m. in Korean time), closed itself off with only the final results to come. If no such problem such as what happened in Florida four years ago occurs, the results of the U.S citizens’ choice will be revealed at around 11:00 a.m. on November 3 in Korean time. The world is holding its breath. Although the choice is up to U.S citizens, people all around the world will have to share the results. U.S citizens have gone through a fierce battle which reminds one of a “civil war” up until the last minute. Florida and Ohio are the exact locations.

In the biggest and most closely contested constituency, Columbus, Ohio, where as many as 800,000 people have newly registered as voters, a door-to-door campaign took place on the afternoon of November 2. Tammy Barrier, who flew from Houston, Texas to volunteer as a campaign volunteer on an eight-day schedule, said to her 11 year-old daughter, “Mom is going to Ohio, and I am doing that for you.” and talked big, saying, “I will come back confirming victory.”

According to a poll from a local newspaper on October 31, it appeared that there was hardly any difference between the two candidates.

Florida, where an incident for re-checking votes in the 2000 presidential election arose, was busy preparing for a lawsuit war on November 1. On 42nd Street near the Republican Party headquarters located right below Miami International Airport, there was a sign saying “Lawyers Assembly” posted. It implies their will to turn to litigation if necessary.

David Johnson, who is a student of Utah State University Law School, flew six hours by plane and has been explaining a law to prevent invalid ballots to Republican supporters for four days. “We must prevent our precious votes that we won from going away,” he said.

Seung-Ryun Kim Kwon-Heui Hong srkim@donga.com konihong@donga.com