Would This Have Prevented The 2000 Florida Debacle?

[Lincoln Republican]

In 2000, Republican Presidential nominee George W Bush surprises the Republican Party and the nation with his pick for Vice President.

Bush chooses General Norman Schwarzkopf of Florida, the hero of Desert Storm, to be his running mate.  Schwarzkopf is well known, respected, and Americans saw him on television on an almost daily basis during the Kuwaiti conflict.

Schwarzkopf accepts the Vice Presidential nomination "in all humility, and as an opportunity to continue to serve this great nation."

Does Bush's pick of popular General Schwarzkopf put Florida safely in the Bush column in 2000, therefore avoiding the acrimony of the 2000 Florida recount, and making Bush the uncontested winner of the election?

Comments please.  Thanks.

[Lincoln Republican]

i would argue that tom ridge would have prevented the florida debacle.  it would have helped bush carry pennsylvania.

Walter, what you say may be true, Bush may have picked up Pennsylvania with Ridge, but would having Ridge on the ticket instead of Cheney have cost Bush Florida or any other southern states?