WTF Is It Now?!?

MIAMI RECOUNT RIOT WAS PLANNED, PAID FOR BY BUSH/CHENEY
Bunnypants' Miami Recount Riot was a Paid Conspiracy -

During the Florida recount, Bush "put on the payroll about 250 staffers, spent about $1.2 million to fly operatives to Florida and elsewhere, and paid for hotel bills adding up to about $1 million... The Miami [rioters] who were paid by Bush recount committee were:

Matt Schlapp, a Bush staffer who was based in Austin and received $4,276.09;

Thomas Pyle, a staff aide to House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, $456;

Michael Murphy, a DeLay fund-raiser, $935.12;

Garry Malphrus, House majority chief counsel to the House Judiciary subcommittee on criminal justice, $330;

Charles Royal, a legislative aide to Rep. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. $391.80; and

Kevin Smith, a former GOP House staffer, $373.23.

Three of the Miami protesters are now members of Bush’s White House staff. Records also show that Bush’s operation paid for the hotel where the Republican protesters celebrated after the Miami riot at a Thanksgiving Day party. At the party, the activists received thank-you phone calls from Bush and Cheney, and were serenaded by crooner Wayne Newton, singing 'Danke Schoen,' German for thank-you very much."

The riot in Miami - carried live on CNN and other networks - marked a turning point in the recount battle. The prospects of spreading violence (the Bush operation "made clear in Miami and in other protests that it was ready to kick up plenty of political dust if it didn’t get its way") were among the arguments later cited by defenders of the 5-to-4 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Dec. 12, 2000, that stopped a statewide Florida recount and handed Bush the presidency.- From here, via democrats.com.