To the editor:

I am writing to rebut a letter disputing the county-by-county U.S. map indicating the results of last year's presidential election. The writer seems to think that since Al Gore won the popular vote, a better representation would yield a sea of blue (presenting Gore votes) dotted by some red (indicating votes for George W. Bush). I don't see how this could be possible.

The county-by-county map questioned by the writer is the most logical representation of the popular vote. As the map indicates, there were counties won by Gore and others won by Bush. I'm sure, depending on the county, some victories were near-unanimous and others were close. Either way, it proves the U.S. Constitution works. According to the Constitution, Bush is the president.

The sore losers cannot seem to understand that it is the electoral vote that matters. The total popular vote is irrelevant. Our Founding Fathers established the electoral system to give all the states equal power and to prevent a few largely populated areas from consistently deciding our presidential elections. Like it or not, the election is over. The W in George W. Bush stands for Won.

G. LINCOLN

Cape Girardeau