Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman

by Jon Krakauer

the highest court in the land handed down its decision, which allowed Florida’s secretary of state, Katherine Harris, to certify the vote with Bush’s minuscule lead still intact, which in turn gave Florida’s twenty-five electoral votes to the Republican candidate. Twenty-four hours after the Supreme Court issued its decisive ruling, Gore addressed the nation, declaring, “Let there be no doubt: While I strongly disagree with the Court’s decision, I accept it. I accept the finality of this outcome which will be ratified next Monday in the Electoral College…. While we yet hold and do not yield our opposing beliefs, there is a higher duty than the one we owe to political party. This is America and we put country before party. We will stand together behind our new president.” And thus did Bush become the forty-third president of the United States, a turn of events that would have no small impact on the life of Pat Tillman.