Vice President Al Gore came forward Wednesday evening with a gesture that displayed the kind of statesmanship that had been conspicuously missing from both candidates and their spokesmen in the days since the presidential election ended in a virtual tie. In offering to call off the lawyers and abide by the results of a Florida hand recount that could be completed in a matter of days, Gore gave a wearying public reason to hope for a quick and definitive conclusion to a dispute that had been spinning even further out of control earlier in the day.

The first reaction from Republican Texas Gov. George W. Bush was to reject the core details of Gore's proposal. However, Bush still has time to respond with a counteroffer in the same spirit as the vice president's overture. Beyond the substance of his proposal, Gore called for an end to the nasty rhetoric that has been coming from both sides and offered to meet with Bush to "reaffirm our national unity." That tone of conciliation, as much as the details of his compromise, was cause for encouragement.

Of course, Gore's gambit is self-serving in some respects. The offer, made in a formal setting in the company of running mate Joseph Lieberman, gave Gore a chance to look presidential -- although nothing had prevented Gore or Bush from making a presidential gesture long before now. Gore's proposal also would require the Bush camp and Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris to drop their attempts to block hand recounts in Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

However, Gore would be conceding a lot as well. Until now, his camp has refused to rule out any legal options, including the possibility of petitioning for a new election in Palm Beach County, where a confusing ballot is blamed for thousands of miscast and rejected ballots. Now, the vice president is prepared to accept the statewide result without further appeal once the recounts and the compilations of overseas absentee ballots are completed. Gore also said he would support a statewide hand recount if Republicans preferred one. Bush spokesmen have been bitterly opposed to the recounts in predominantly Democratic counties, but they haven't explained why they oppose a broader recount in predominantly Republican counties, too.

A full hand recount -- a routine process in close elections for offices other than president -- surely offers a quicker and more equitable conclusion than the confusing barrage of competing lawsuits the two sides and their supporters already have set in motion. Both sides should be able to agree to a uniform standard that all counties could apply in conducting the hand recounts. Unless the Bush and Gore campaigns arrive at an agreement for bringing this standoff to an end, there is a risk that the presidential election will remain in limbo for weeks as various state and federal courts offer contradictory opinions.

Gore's gesture still could set in motion a process that leads to an election result that allows the new president, whether Democrat or Republican, to take office under circumstances that do not compromise his authority or legitimacy. This prolonged election battle cannot be allowed to leave us with a president too damaged to deal effectively with crises at home or threats abroad.

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