So now we recount … With no clear idea if this hand count will actually count toward the final election results.

And we wait … a day, or two, for the more than 2,000 absentee ballots to be counted in Florida. If we were lucky, we might know by Saturday — more than 10 days after election day — who will be the next president of the United States of America.

But we won’t. A long, legal battle looms, without the slightest hint of leadership and a willingness to budge by either candidate.

We agree, today, with the ideas brought forth by national columnist William Raspberry. In his column, Mr. Raspberry ponders just what could happen if the two national parties, congressional leaders and even the party politicos could put aside egos and their &uot;win-at-all-costs&uot; attitudes to explore what they share in common.

Imagine what could happen if Democratic and Republican congressional leaders sought a middle ground — shared ideas, compromises, shared goals — in their debates, instead of political power struggles that deadlock Congress … and progress.

We have heard repeatedly in the national media, and on the streets in Adams County and Concordia Parish, that no mandate exists in this presidential election. We realize for many voters those ballots cast on election day were votes for the lesser of two evils … That pervasive discouragement with the political process only deepens as this post-election saga wears on … and voters’ patience wears thin.

If there is any mandate sent to Congress, or the White House, with this election it’s simply this: The American public is a tough audience — with high expectations and a high level of frustration at the ineffectiveness and political divisiveness found throughout the Beltway.

And maybe, just maybe, it’s time for some leadership … and some shared vision.