But how much time do we really need between the primaries and the general election to read up on the issues and decide on who we'll support? How many times do we need to hear the same sound bites? And how do commercials with blatantly subliminal messages help us make informed choices? We would do well to consider structural regulation of campaigns in addition to campaign finance reform. Shortening the campaign period would be a first step in enabling candidates to spend more time in their roles as public servants.

In Britain, laws reduce the need for inordinate amounts of money--paid broadcast advertisements are prohibited and TV and radio stations are obligated to give each major party free airtime during campaigns. These laws haven't made politics in Britain squeaky-clean, but at least the Brits try. In the U.S., candidates don't have to break any rules because corruption is legal.

Regardless of who is named our next president, his integrity and the integrity of the Florida ballot count will be questioned. But if we're that concerned about integrity, we should begin by questioning our wasteful campaign structure itself--not its inevitable by-products. In the meantime, let's hope for a fair administration of the hand count, so that this country has at least one thing it can trust.

Hoon-Jung Kim '01 is a social studies concentrator in Leverett House. Her column appears on alternate Mondays.