LOU WATERS, CNN ANCHOR: We refocus our attention at the U.S. Naval Observatory, the vice president's home, where Al Gore has just emerged. He's about to make a statement to the press about today's developments in the courts of Florida. The vice president.</s>AL GORE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hi. As I have said all along, we need to get a fair and accurate count to resolve this election. The American people want to make certain that every vote counts and that every vote is counted fairly and accurately. The citizens of Florida surely want the candidate who receives the most votes in Florida to be determined the winner of that state. That's why I'm very pleased that the hand counts are continuing. They're proceeding despite efforts to obstruct them. And that is why the decision just announced by the Florida Supreme Court preventing the Florida secretary of state from certifying the election results tomorrow is so important. I want to be clear: Neither Governor Bush nor the Florida secretary of state nor I will be the arbiter of this election. This election is a matter that must be decided by the will of the people as expressed under the rule of law, law which has meaning as determined in Florida now by the Florida Supreme Court. Thank you.</s>WATERS: The vice president taking no questions, just commenting, following the Florida Supreme Court ruling just a few minutes ago preventing the secretary of state of Florida, Katherine Harris, from certifying the election, as she had intended, by tomorrow.
Vice President Comments on Decision to Stay Certification of Presidential Votes