Election 2000: Other Developments

Colin Powell to visit Bush at ranch

In a very public show of his intention to govern the nation, Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush has invited Gen. Colin Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and one of the nation’s most admired public figures, to his Texas ranch Thursday.

Bush has long hinted that Powell, who served under his father during the Gulf War, would have a prominent spot in his own administration, most likely as secretary of state.

And, for his part, Powell told top-level staffers this week he will join Bush’s administration if asked do so, clearing the way for the retired Army general to be tapped as secretary of state as early as next week.

“He said, `If asked, I will serve,’ ” said one Republican insider familiar with the statement Powell made Tuesday to aides at America’s Promise. Powell established the Alexandria, Va., foundation 3-1/2 years ago to work with corporations and community groups to provide role models and safe activities for children.

Who is Judge Sauls?

In the middle of a tense court hearing over the presidential election, Circuit Judge N. Sanders Sauls sat up in his chair and raised his eyebrows. “It’s a little bit like getting nibbled to death by a duck,” he drawled to laughter.

The 59-year-old son of a court clerk and tax assessor grew up in the courthouses of north Florida’s rural Jefferson County. He has maintained his country ways in a legal career that took him from a prosecutor to lobbyist to bankruptcy court magistrate and, finally, to his 1989 appointment to the Circuit Court bench.

Folksy demeanor aside, few question Sauls’ integrity on the bench - or his ability to handle such a high-profile case.

Despite the frequent outbursts of laughter in the courtroom, Sauls was keenly cognizant of the importance of the history-making turn of events in his hands.