When will Al Gore get the message? According to a poll conducted by ABC News and the Washington Post, nearly six in 10 Americans say Gore should concede in the presidential election.

That’s six in 10 … nearly 60 percent of those voters polls. In a nation where the popular vote was split nearly evenly — with Gore having a slight edge over GOP candidate George W. Bush — you can easily assume that those six in 10 respondents included several Gore supporters.

The message is clear: The American public is tired of the legal wrangling, and disappointed in the vice president’s relentless quest to win.

The Florida results were certified Monday — after nearly three weeks of counting and recounting — and Bush was the winner, by less than a 1,000 votes.

But, the key phrase here is this: Bush was the winner. And by winning, he captured all 25 of the state’s electoral votes — enough to give him the presidency.

Certainly, the system isn’t perfect. In any election — whether a national presidential race or a local election commissioner’s race — ballots are disqualified for irregularities and problems. Yet, Gore’s campaign spinmeisters would have the American public believe that the irregularities and discounted ballots cast in Florida are the work of a greater conspiracy — a great injustice against voters.

Hogwash. The invalid ballots are the result of a human system — designed and utilized by humans. And, as with the foundation of our democracy, we maintain faith in the system that it works — not perfectly, but overwhelmingly well.

Gore knows the system — certainly, his previous elections prove he has benefitted from it and learned to work within it. Now, he needs to show it — and the American voters — the respect they are due.