Christopher Brook I watched the elections returns Nov. 7 with a sense of awe. From 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., I was glued to the TV watching the seesaw race between Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush. By the time I went to bed, the margin separating Gore and Bush from the presidency stood at a paltry 1,700 votes in the state of Florida. In those early morning hours, and in the days immediately following, I na