> > Or I could say, "Why aren't all of our elected officials elected by an electorial college?"
>
> Because except for the President and Vice President, our elected officials already represent the various geographic areas of our country. Tennessee's Senators are elected by Tennessee only; its Representatives are elected by designated regions *within* Tennessee, as is your state legislature. So the effect of the electoral college is mirrored by our various elected bodies as whole entities. Your Senators ensure that the voice of Tennessee is heard on the national level and is not overrun by California and New York. Your Representatives ensure that the diverse communities *within* Tennessee are not overwhelmed by Tennessee's majority vote as a whole.
>
> > But I won't. I'll just agree that Bush won. As I remember the vote was 5-4 and the electorial college had nothing to do with it.
>
> The 5-4 vote, as you well know, was not to vote for the President of the United States. It was to vote that Florida's vote tallies -- whether by the original count or by any of the various recounts, *all* of which Bush won by a majority of votes from the state of Florida -- were to stand. For someone who favors a straight majority vote on the national level, you seem pretty opposed to it on the state level.

AMEN