Election 2000 had almost everything voters wanted — excitement, drama, intrigue, close competition. Everything that is except a new president, at least not yet.

As Americans awoke Wednesday morning the all-night debate over which candidate, George W. Bush or Al Gore, actually won was still unresolved.

Throughout the night members of the media tried to project, estimate, predict and, finally, downright guess which candidate won enough electoral college votes to claim the title of president elect. The outcome of the race now lies hanging in the balance on a thin thread in Florida.

Now experts say it may be days before we know for certain — if you allow time to collect and count all of the overseas votes — who wins.

As is often the case in such down-to-the-wire races, all sorts of cries of voter shenanigans and irregularities have emerged. In Florida, three Palm Beach County residents have filed a lawsuit over what they believe was a confusing ballot. Activist the Jesse Jackson has cried foul over alleged problems blacks had during election day. Kwesi Mfume, president of the NAACP, has asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate reports of voter problems with minority youth.

We wish that, rather than rushing to a judgment on what happened, Americans will simply use patience and wait for our system to work. If wrongdoing was committed, investigators have plenty of time between now and inauguration day to sort it all out.

As Al Gore said Wednesday, ”We are now, as we have been from the moment of our founding, a nation built on the rule of law.”

We’d all do well to remember that.