To the Point

Foreign Reaction to the US Elections

The US likes to call itself the world's best democracy. But as the Florida hand count continues, foreign countries go from congratulations to confusion. Are they having a good laugh or are they worried about the foreign-policy consequences of a divided America? We get perspectives from Great Britain, Mexico, Russia, South Africa and Japan on how American electoral gridlock looks from overseas. Newsmaker: A federal judge has rejected the Bush campaign's request to stop the hand recount of votes in several Florida counties. Jon Mills, former Speaker (D) of Florida's House of Representatives, is Dean and Director of the Center for Governmental Responsibility at the University of Florida's College of Law. He says the process is bound to produce legal challenges and procedural changes. Reporter's Notebook: Two Newsweek correspondents were given intimate access to the Gore and Bush campaigns if they promised not to file any reports until after election day. Today they're free to speak for the record. Trent Gegax, has been following Bush for more than a year. Adam Rogers has been following Gore for many months.