Collegiate Times

2:11AM EST, Christopher Ritter, CT Web Developer and Designer

The Associated Press is currently declaring Jim Webb as the winner in the Virginia Senate election. All of the votes have not yet been counted, and Senator Allen will still be given the opportunity to request a recount.

A win for Jim Webb would place the senate at 49 Republicans, 49 Democrats and two independents. Independents Bernie Sanders (Vermont) and Joe Lieberman (Connecticut) have said publicly that they will caucus with the Democrats. This would leave the new senate at a 51-49 Democrat Party majority.

More information from the Collegiate Times in Blacksburg will be made available as news breaks.

11:47PM EST, Krystyne Hayes, CT Staff Writer

The public is currently awaiting the Virginia rep Senate winner in the state of Virginia, but some news sources are already calling it for Webb. The margin is still razor thin. About 7,000 votes separate the candidates, with Jim Webb in the lead over incumbent George Allen by less than one-third of 1 percent.

Allen has said he will wait for the official count, but Webb has said he is planning a victory speech this morning.

Webb has already claimed the win, but Allen is not conceding yet. At this point Allen is waiting for the rest of the votes to be counted; these include early and absentee ballots. Regardless of the outcome, the election results do not become official until Nov. 27 when they are certified by the state Board of Elections. It is only after this date and the outcome of these numbers that Allen, or Webb, has the ability to ask for a recount. Under Virginia law, a margin of less than a half-percent is eligible for a recount in which the state pays. A losing candidate can also request ? and pay for ? a recount if the margin is less than 1 percent. Allen is thought to ask for a recount, at the cost of the state, because the margin looks to be less than 1 percent in favor of Webb.

Former Democratic Gov. Mark Warner held a teleconference yesterday morning in an attempt to explain the nature of Virginia state recounts, and how it will affect the Senate race. ?A recount in Virginia is more a retabulation than a recount,? Warner said. ?It is more limited than what people remember from Florida. The votes are not individually scrutinized. In the history of Virginia, there just are no recounts where hundreds or thousands of votes are changed.?

Jean Jensen, secretary of state elections for Virginia, has reassured the public that if Allen calls for a recount, it will not be another Florida situation. The rule of the Senate hangs in the balance with the state of Virginia; if Webb wins the election both the House and Senate could be Democrat. If Allen wins, then the house will be Democrat while the Senate will remain Republican.

Following national election results, a big announcement was made on the federal politics level yesterday.

President Bush responded publicly for the first time about the resignation of his Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld at 1 p.m.

He has asked Robert Gates, former director of the CIA and current president of Texas A&M University, to replace Rumsfeld and is awaiting the Senate?s approval. If confirmed by the Senate, Bush believes that he will bring sound judgment to the position because he has served presidents of both parties.

Bush stated that although he was disappointed with the outcome of the election, he shares the responsibility and blame in the outcome.

Obviously, there was displeasure of the progress being made in Iraq and that was shown through the outcome of the election, but Bush stated that we cannot accept defeat. He plans to meet with both parties next week and listen to their views about the way forward. The election has changed things in Washington, but the president was adamant in saying that his fundamental responsibility of protecting this nation has not changed.

Bush also talked about why he had not released Rumsfeld?s resignation before the election. He said that he didn?t want to state this new information right before an election, because it may sway voters, and he hadn?t met with Robert Gates yet nor had he had his final talk with Rumsfeld.

The president believed that although Iraq had a lot to do with the election, other factors did as well. Gates made a speech later in the day stating that he has enjoyed nothing more than being the president at Texas A&M, and it was unexpected to be asked to be in a public position again, but looks forward to working with the president because of the risk to Americans and those serving in uniform in Iraq. He will take the position if approved by the Senate.

Rumsfeld later spoke thanking the president for the opportunity to be the Secretary of Defense for six years, and although he never intended to walk away while the war was in place, he serves at the pleasure of the president and looks forward to working in transition with Gates.

1:24PM EST, Christopher Ritter and Adam Smith, Web Developer and Designer, Public Editor

President Bush announced Rumsfeld?s resignation in a nationally televised speech today.

?Why all the glum faces,? said President Bush trying to break the ice. ?It is clear the Democrat party had a good night last night? I am obviously disappointed with the outcome of the elections. After a series of thoughtful conversations Secretary Rumsfeld and I agreed that the timing is right for new leadership at the Pentagon. ?

Rumsfeld will be replaced by Robert Gates, the current President of Texas A & M University and the former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

The president seemed highly impacted by the election results.

"Actually I thought we were gonna do fine yesterday - show's what I know."

The president affirmed that the American people are in search of change. More coverage of Bob Gates, Rumsfeld's resignation and the election to follow shortly.

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