OK, so there is some gratification in that this tidpit did get picked up in Time Magazine (see: How Much U.S. Help?. But this is bigger than a side story in Time.
If Bush & Co will consider taking steps to "affect" the outcome of ANY election... they'll try to "affect" ANY election! Meaning, ours.
There's got to be a reason they don't want electronic votes verified. My theory: if they lose, they'll challenge the election by filing suit on Jan. 16 or so, asking, as part of their lawsuit, for a stay of effectiveness of the election. Courts are typically friendly to - and, indeed, often require - that the status quo be maintained while the dispute is resolved in court. This would mean, obviously, keeping Bush in place as preznit while the suit were decided. And make no mistake that Rove & Co. could prolong the lawsuit dramatically. In addition, Kerry, if controlled by the DNC as Gore seems to have been, could do the same thing Gore did ("Now is the time for acceptance...").
Paranoia? Maybe. But the fact that they have seriously considered affecting ANY democratic election should give everyone pause. And it's something every voter should be aware of, imho.