Two weeks have now passed since the dramatic climax to Taiwan's presidential election. But there is still little sign of a resolution to the bitter disputes that have followed. The rival parties seem determined to put their own interests before those of the Taiwanese people.
A little progress has been made since polling day. Both Chen Shui-bian, who won a slender victory, and his rival Lien Chan have agreed that a recount should be held. This is just as well as without one, the deadlock between the two sides would never be broken.
The way ahead should be simple. A date needs to be set for a recount - the sooner it takes place, the better - and both candidates must agree to accept the result. Taiwanese politics, however, is rarely so straightforward.
A bid for a judicial recount brought by Mr Lien went before Taiwan's High Court on Friday. Mr Chen waived his right to contest whether the recount should go ahead. This avoided the need for hearings involving the giving of evidence, which could have caused the case to drag on for months. In theory, it should have paved the way for a recount to take place immediately.
But every time this pivotal moment seems to be approaching, the two sides dredge up new and spurious arguments that stand in the way of progress. At times, the squabbling would not be out of place in the playground.
Mr Lien, for example, argued that only his rival candidate's votes, together with spoiled and blank ballot papers, should be recounted. This, he said, would save money. But the idea of holding only a partial recount is preposterous. It would solve nothing. Mr Chen's votes may be found, on re-examination, to fall short of those won by Mr Lien two weeks ago. But what then? Not until Mr Lien's votes have also been recounted could a new result be declared.
If, on the other hand, the partial recount confirmed that Mr Chen had indeed won sufficient support to claim the presidency, would the KMT leader accept this? Of course not. He would then demand that his own votes also be re-examined. In addition, Mr Lien is seeking to have a new election held and an independent probe launched into the shooting of Mr Chen on the eve of polling day.