Recount

"I used to call turkeys in the spring with Lawton Chiles."

...says former U.S. Secretary of State and lifelong political fixer Jim Baker in HBO's new docudrama on the 2000 Florida recount fiasco, entitled Recount.

In a quick but glorious monologue, actor Tom Wilkinson skillfully conveys Baker's drawl and explains why Florida's Supreme Court is a not a recourse for the Bush-for-president legal team. Chiles, Baker's old hunting buddy from the Senate days, packed the court with "flaming liberals" who would do anything to allow a full and fair recount to proceed.

If you haven't seen Recount, check your listings for when it repeats on HBO. It premiered last night. Or ask a friend to tape it for you.

The cast is all-star, the script is punchy, the film's research team did their homework.

And: Lawton Chiles steals the show without ever showing his face or uttering a word. You know it's right when turkeys and Lawton Chiles are in the same sentence.