Wilde gave us a word for the forecasts of the experts

The networks did not exactly cover themselves in glory. Miscalling Florida once might, as Oscar Wilde might have said, be regarded as unfortunate. But, twice . . . precipitating an early walk to the showers by the Vice-President, only to have him retracting and back on the pitch in minutes.

Not good.

It was the electronic media's answer to the Chicago Tribune's ultimate embarrassment in 1948 - "Dewey Defeats Truman".

And Dan Rather had offered CBS viewers on Tuesday night the equivalent of a money-back guarantee. "If we say somebody's carried the state, you can take that to the bank. Book it!" he asserted: a touching and completely misplaced faith in their technology and gurus that led them all, sheep-like, to a path spiralling down into farce.

It would have been funnier if it had not been so serious, as irate republicans pointed out. Calling Florida for Mr Gore when western polling stations were still open for business for another two hours may well have affected voter behaviour. Worse still, some of the Florida polling stations were still open.

Appearing on CNN, Mr Karl Rove, Mr Bush's chief strategist, took the networks to task for the error. He pointed out that part of Florida was in a different time zone from the rest of the state. "You all called Florida before the polls were closed," he said.

Mr William J. Bennett, the former secretary of education, was even angrier. "This should not happen," he said.

The Florida projection for Mr Gore had been made by the networks at shortly before 8 p.m. eastern time. It was withdrawn by CNN at 9.54 p.m., and all of the other major broadcast and cable news networks followed shortly afterwards. As of 1.30 a.m. the state remained too close to call.

On ABC Peter Jennings awarded Florida to Bush at 2.17 a.m. "Unless there is a terrible calamity, George W. Bush, by our projections, is going to be the next President of the United States."

But calamity there was, and by 4.30 a.m. Jennings was saying: "We are going to take Florida back into the too close to call column."

In the interim, the networks had declared Mr Bush the next president. Mr Gore had swallowed the call, hook, line and sinker, with his pride, and called Mr Bush to congratulate him as aides worked on the concession speech. Later he would call back to retract. And some of the newspapers jumped the gun too, with the most venerable of all of them, the New York Times, announcing on its website at 3 a.m. that Mr Bush had made it.

"Bush Wins" trumpeted the first edition and the Boston Globe announced: "It's Bush in a Tight One." "Bush Triumphs" said the Charleston Gazette.