Hi William,
This is indeed a good question to bring the discussion back to reasonable proportions: Nobody in their right mind would say Gore got "epurated". You would need a monolithic doctrine to define what "pure" and "impure" are to signify. Quite apart from its desirability, there is no trace of such a doctrine. I think the problems with the election arose not from lack of democracy, but from excessive expectations put in its basic rules. Democracy, while a necessary condition, is no replacement for leadership.