Eight years ago today, I had just finished settling a lawsuit filed by Muhammad Ali (long story) in Las Angeles and found myself at LAX airport with nothing to do until my red eye flight left some six hours later.

 

Meanwhile, an election for the ages was underway, with Al "The Environment" Gore and Dubya duking it out.  So I took a seat in that weird elevated spaceship like bar that is connected to the airport and nursed a few beers as I slowly watched the results come in from the East Coast heading west.  Never before had I paid so much attention to each individual state, but there I was looking out over the country, cheering (and booing) as CNN made another "official" call.

 

Eventually I made my way to the gate, just as Al Gore was declared the winner.  I settled into my seat and at some point the pilot came on to say that Bush had actually won.  I got home, turned on the TV and found out that there was no winner.  And the rest is hanging chad history. 

 

What a surreal start to a surreal eight years!

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