If the speeches Wednesday night were a measure of the possibilities for political common ground, the long presidential campaign and the prolonged vote count that followed merely reinforced and ultimately reflected the national feeling that the bitter ideological divide of recent years will no longer be tolerated. But as strong as both speeches were – and both Al Gore and George Bush hit exactly the right notes of graciousness and cooperation – they must be reinforced with a commitment to put policy ahead of party and a refusal to let extreme elements dictate the agenda. This will not be easy.

The vice president, in a speech at turns lofty and personal, offered President-elect Bush as thorough a concession as possible, pledging “to honor the new president-elect and do everything possible to help him bring Americans together in fulfillment of the great vision that our Declaration of Independence defines and that our Constitution affirms and defends.” It properly ended, clearly and without rancor, the dispute over who won Florida’s electoral votes and the election.

Mr. Bush, too, accomplished the important agenda of showing forcefully that he sees himself “not elected to serve one party, but to serve one nation.” In a speech devoid of celebration or party-rousing slogans that more conservative members may have wanted to hear, he highlighted themes where there are real possibilities of accomplishment in the next four years.

The president-elect offered the broad subjects of education, Social Security, prescription drugs, military readiness, “fair and fiscally responsible” tax cuts. These are areas of concern that voters identified again and again during the campaign and they are easily able to provoke bitterly partisan debate. Mr. Bush wisely kept his comments general enough to avoid disagreement at this time, but he will be tested on these issues to adopt some of his opponents’ ideas if any of them are to be made into law.

Mr. Bush could take any one of these subjects and turn it into an early area for compromise that could set the tone of his administration. As a former governor, he might choose education and the federal government’s woeful inability to fully fund the special-education mandates it has sent to the states.

Passing legislation that properly funds the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act would be a two-fer: Congress wants to be seen on the right side of this issue and the nation’s governors would feel nothing but gratitude for the additional, and badly needed, money.

In a time of extended peace and record-setting economic expansion, Mr. Bush will begin his presidency not with overwhelming voter support but with a public eagerness to have Republicans and Democrats work together on the issues he mentioned Wednesday. That is more than sufficient to forge a strong and successful presidency.