Campaign rhetoric is full of talk about the winds of change, but at least on a national level the results of this election hardly amount to a light breeze. Whether the country is stuck in the political doldrums or simply enjoying a bit of calm is a matter for conjecture, but there is no reason to expect an abrupt change of course.

This election gave us more than its share of excitement and historical oddities, but it produced nothing like a workable mandate. Regardless of how the electoral college settles out, neither party can claim the support of the people for any broad initiatives. The most that can be expected out of Washington in the next few years will be small, incremental actions in areas of broad consensus – which might be just about what the voters wanted.

In the usual election scenario the incumbents point to the good they have done and promise even more. The party out of power talks of new directions, new beginnings and new challenges. The voters then choose, not only between the candidates, but between their agendas and goals.

Tuesday yielded no such clarity. The race for president is a virtual tie. Whoever wins the White House will do so by way of what amounts to a statistical fluke.

The GOP has retained control of the House of Representatives, albeit with its already slim margin further decreased. There is precious little the majority will be able to accomplish on its own.

Likewise, the Republican majority in the Senate will be wafer thin. Close votes will go to the GOP, especially if Dick Cheney is presiding as vice president, but by the mathematics of the upper house a simple majority is rarely enough.

It takes two-thirds to override a presidential veto, which will matter primarily if the Democrats manage to pull an electoral rabbit out of their hat in Florida. More important, Senate rules require 60 votes to invoke cloture, the shutting off of debate that ends a filibuster. Without that supermajority any hotly contested bill is in trouble.