Republican George Phillips is trailing Democratic U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey by about 8,200 votes in New York's 22nd Congressional District election but is refusing to concede.

Phillips, behind by a count of 90,412 to 82,202, apparently is pinning his hopes on the estimated 12,600 absentee ballots cast in the election.

With all due to respect, George, do the math. (I mean, I know you're a history teacher, but do the math.) Even if you picked up 10,000 of the 12,600 absentee votes, you'd still lose: 93,012 to 92,202.

To win this thing, Phillips would need nearly 83 percent of the absentee ballots to go his way in an election where only 47.6 percent of voters favored him at the polling places.

Seriously, George, do the math. And then do the honorable thing: Concede.