sentences:  Within two hours after the event, the canvassing board unanimously voted to shut down the count, in part due to perceptions that the process wasn't open or fair, and in part because the court-mandated deadline was impossible to meet.The controversial incident was set in motion by John E. Sweeney, a New York Republican who was nicknamed "Congressman Kick-Ass" by President Bush for his work in Florida.Sweeney defended his actions by arguing that his aim was not to stop the hand recount but to restore the process to public view.